The Nature of Interrogation
by whoeverIamloves
Summary: Sequel to He Can Handle It. Kakashi's teaching Shikamaru 'Hostile Interrogation' and 'Resistance', and Genma helps. Also, Genma will be working with Ino on her seduction skills. GenmaXIno Citrus. And later, what happens when training has to be put to use?
1. Chapter 1

This fic is a sequel to another one of my stories, He Can Handle It. I really appreciate all the awesome feedback I got on that story. You don't have to read that one first, but there's a couple of references to it that you might not get. Nothing too major, though. You can go back and read that one, or you can message me for a brief overview, or you can pretend it doesn't exist. :)

In contrast to that story, though, I'm going to be jumping around a little in POV. No annoying first person, but the focus isn't going to stay on Shikamaru for every chapter.

I don't know how long I'm going to be able to update this one; it all depends on how creative my mind gets and how much stuff I actually have to do that doesn't involve my computer.

**This fic is rated M for a reason**. Expect violence and sexual situations.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

**Disclaimer Number Two: I do NOT condone human rights violations, and I am NOT an authority on the topic of torture. There's something called the "Willing Suspension of Disbelief." Basically, it means just go with it for the sake of the story. Don't like it? Don't read it.**I will be keeping the characters 'in character' as closely as possible, and I believe that this topic fits into the Naruto universe.

And now, on with the story!

* * *

**The Nature of Interrogation**

* * *

Shikamaru meandered toward the Jonin building.

Three days had passed since he had returned with Team Kakashi returned from the ambush with the two scrolls full of new intelligence about the impending attack. Tsunade had wasted no time in dispatching ANBU to alleviate the threat, and she had assured the four of them that if the attack still managed to come, Konoha would be ready for it.

Things had pretty much gone back to normal after the team got back. Shikamaru hadn't seen much of Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Sai except when he passed them in the street or Ichiraku Ramen. He had been training with Ino and Chouji for most of the three days, or laying about watching the clouds while his mind drifted.

The reason the chuunin was currently en route to the Jonin Headquarters was because that morning, he'd passed Kakashi. He had asked if Shikamaru still wanted his help with what they'd talked about, and the two had agreed to meet this afternoon in front of that particular building.

Shikamaru was nervous. Not the jittery, stage fright type of nervous, but the calmer, 'what-in-the-hell-have-I-gotten-myself-into' type of nervous.

He had compensated for Kakashi's well-known habit of tardiness by wasting an extra hour and a half after the appointed time to meet on the steps. Kakashi appeared to have just arrived, and he had his green book with the red 'restricted' symbol blocking the view of his masked face. Shikamaru shoved his hands into his pockets as he sauntered over to where the jonin was reclined.

"Oi."

"You're late." Kakashi didn't look up from his book as he spoke.

"Imitation is the highest form of flattery."

"Touché."

Kakashi finally marked his page and stood up, slipping the book into his hip pouch. He started walking up the stairs toward the door and Shikamaru followed. After nodding to the door attendant, they entered the foyer and Kakashi headed down the east corridor. Kakashi waited until they reached the downward-leading stairs at the end to break the silence.

"So…there's a couple of ways we can do this. I could pull Genma in for practice or a demonstration, or we could do some role play, or we can just talk through it. Got a preference?"

"Genma's that guy always sucking on a senbon, right?" Kakashi nodded and Shikamaru chuckled as the two descended down the stairs. "I remember him from the Chuunin Exams. What'd he do to you?"

"Let's just say he lost a bet and owes me for it."

"Ah." He contemplated for a moment. "Which side of it are we working on today?"

"Offense."

"I guess whatever you think will work best."

"Hn."

They had reached the basement by now, and Kakashi poked his head into one of the doors as they passed. Shikamaru couldn't quite hear the brief conversation with whoever was in the room, but after they moved on, he noticed a young ninja –probably someone's genin assistant- run out of the room and up the stairs.

A moment later, they had reached the end of the corridor. Kakashi opened a door at the end and went in.

The small room wasn't especially well-lit, but there was a single light fixture in the middle of the ceiling that provided enough light to see the dirt floor and brick walls clearly. There were two straight-backed wood chairs sitting in the middle of the room.

Kakashi took a seat in one of them and Shikamaru followed the jonin's lead by sitting in the other.

"What are these rooms down here used for, anyway?"

"They're basically extra. Storage, training, make-shift offices, hiding from the hokage…whatever they're needed for."

"Ah."

Kakashi didn't waste any more time getting to the point. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"So we went over the basic ideas the other night, but we never got a chance to talk tactics. Any particular place you can think of that you want to start?"

"Not really."

"Alright. Well…let's see. The first, most basic rule of 'hostile interrogation' is this:" he paused to look at Shikamaru meaningfully with his single visible eye. "Anything Goes. That can mean physical pain, psychological, illusions, or anything else you can think of."

Shikamaru swallowed. _What in the HELL have I gotten myself into?_

Kakashi let the intensity of the look fade, apparently satisfied that he'd gotten his point across. He continued in a more casual tone.

"The second is this: every informant is going to have a different weakness. You just have to figure out what it is."

Shikamaru nodded. It made sense.

"Beyond that, there are two main strategies, and you have to figure out which one the informant is more likely to be susceptible to. Care to take a shot at what I'm referring to?"

"Well…the broadest things I can think of regarding…torture…would be to aim it at the actual target, or someone the target cares about."

Kakashi nodded approvingly.

"Right."

"That's where the guy failed with you, wasn't it?"

"Hm? Oh. Yeah. Anyway, sometimes you can tell immediately if a captive is more concerned about himself or the people around him. Other times, if they're good, they'll mislead you or not give any indication at all. It's a lot of trial and error, usually."

"Sounds troublesome."

"It can be. Under those two categories…there are three target areas that have the highest success rates."

"…and those are…?"

"Bribery, pride, and senses."

"Bribery?"

"Right. You can offer them something they want or need, like a trip outside, or diplomatic immunity, or their freedom, or a quick and painless death. This usually won't work on the first try, so you have to switch it up with something else. Generally, I go for the pride first. Anything from leaving scars to blackmail to anything else you can think of that will humiliate them, either in the present or the future in front of their teammates or alone."

"…where does the fear come in? You haven't said anything about bluffing versus threatening for real."

"That's probably the main overtone of the whole thing. I guess I should have started there."

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, and it occurred to Shikamaru that the Copy Ninja's light demeanor seemed pointedly out of place in this dark conversation. Kakashi continued.

"You can carry out every damn threat you make against the informant and the people he cares about, and still not get any accurate information out of him."

"That's encouraging." Sarcasm was dripping from the younger man's voice.

"The trick is to make sure they're shitting their pants every time they feel you looking at them. And the way to do that is to make them think you _like_ causing them as much pain and humiliation as possible."

Shikamaru scraped his boot against the dirt floor.

"Anticipation is everything, and making them think you're excited about whatever you're about to do is what's gonna break them."

Shikamaru swallowed.

"If you can make them think that, then they will _never_ call your bluff once you find their soft spot."

He paused.

"Another tactic is to play nice. Make them think you want to help them, but can't unless they give you the information your superiors want."

"That's where team interrogations and bribery come in, isn't it?"

"Exactly. The nice guy strategy can work alone sometimes, but 'psycopath' is usually more effective."

"So I understand the pride thing, and I can only assume that by 'senses', you mean sensory deprivation?"

"Also correct. That one takes a lot of patience, because I've heard stories about informants taking up to two weeks to break with that one. If you're short on time…you have to exhaust every other option first."

"Makes sense."

Kakashi paused and looked at Shikamaru, almost like he was deciding whether to tell him something else. In the end, he seemed to decide in favor of sharing whatever he was thinking about.

"There's a major sub-category of 'pride' that works sometimes."

"Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not, but-"

The sound of the door opening interrupted whatever Kakashi had been about to say. Shikamaru started, but Kakashi looked as relaxed as ever. He followed the copy ninja's gaze to see what the mischievous glint in his eye was about.

Shikamaru's eyes widened when he saw a senbon seem to lead a scowling ninja with shaggy brown hair and a bandana through the door.

"This had better be fucking important, Kakashi."

"Of course." There was a grin in his voice. It was rather…disconcerting.

"I was having a very meaningful conversation with two _very_ lovely ladies."

Genma seemed to notice Shikamaru for the first time.

"What'd he rope you into? …Shikamaru, right?"

Kakashi just laughed lightly, giving one of his signature eye grins as he stood and patted Shikamaru on the shoulder.

"I didn't rope him into anything. I'm helping him with interrogation techniques, and you're going to help me."

The senbon drooped as its user's jaw went slack with realization.

"Oh…_hell_ no."

"Oh yes."

"Kakashi, you are out of your damn mind if you think I'm going to play 'victim' for you."

"You still owe me for that bet you lost last month."

Genma's scowl intensified.

"That bet was rigged."

"It's for a good cause."

"Find someone more charitable. I don't feel like taking that kind of abuse today."

"Everyone else has missions coming up in the next day or two. All you have are the Chuunin Exams next week."

"I don't see you volunteering."

Kakashi shrugged.

"…I happen to know that Sakura's on duty at the hospital tonight."

_Hospital? _

The senbon twitched.

"…really." He considered for a brief moment, then shook his head. "Nope. I've seen your style. Still not worth it."

"Oh, not me." White hair gestured toward Shikamaru. "Him."

"But you're the one coaching him."

Shikamaru was sitting still, just watching the exchange between jonin with mild amusement. The white-haired ninja shrugged.

"Suit yourself. The other option is that I'll actually cash in that _other_ favor you owe me."

"…you wouldn't."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow.

"Shit. You would."

Kakashi grinned again. Genma hung his head in defeat.

"You're a bastard."

"That's what friends are for," Kakashi responded lightly.

Genma sighed.

"Here's hoping I'm never your enemy."

Kakashi happily reached into his hip pocket and pulled out…

…_a deck of cards? Seriously? _

"That one, huh?"

"Yup."

"What kind of time frame am I looking at?"

"…"

"Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying."

Shikamaru watched as Kakashi pulled a card from the middle of the deck. Genma dramatically rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, making a show of memorizing the card before Kakashi shoved it back into the deck and put the deck back into his hip pocket. He turned to Shikamaru, who was now standing.

"Now, your job is to find out which card that was."

He then gestured for Genma to take a seat in one of the chairs, and the other jonin pouted as he slumped over to the one facing the door. Kakashi walked behind him, pulling a roll of wire from his pocket as he did so.

Shikamaru just watched. Clearly Kakashi had a plan, but…restraining him?

_Just how far is this 'simulation' supposed to go?_

"Are you sure about this?"

"Don't worry about it, kid. I've been through both sides of this training. I know what I'm getting myself into."

Kakashi tied the reluctant senbon user's hands behind the chair back and his feet to the chair legs. Once that was done, Kakashi stepped back to lean against the wall beside Shikamaru. He didn't take his eyes off the "captive" as he spoke.

"So what's your plan?"

"I was thinking about just letting him stew for a while."

"Not a bad plan."

Genma rolled his eyes and flicked the senbon to the other side of his mouth.

"Somehow, though, I get the feeling it's because you're not comfortable with this."

Shikamaru didn't answer, and Kakashi looked at him.

"Look. This is a simulation. He's not going to hold anything against you, because he knows this kind of training is important."

Genma piped up, dropping the scowl for the first time since he'd come into the room.

"Seriously, kid. All _blackmail_ aside," he narrowed his eyes darkly at Kakashi before returning his attention to the younger man, "Konoha needs as many well-rounded shinobi as possible, and that includes interrogation skills. If Kakashi thinks you're ready to learn this, then I'm willing to take one for the team."

He looked at Kakashi, and the senbon twitched challengingly.

"Don't worry about hurting me or pissing me off. I'll just take it out on him the day after tomorrow in a sparring match."

Kakashi just laughed. Apparently that meant he accepted the challenge.

_Well, at least I know he's not here completely against his will._

"Now. Ask me about the card."

Shikamaru sighed. He didn't move from his position against the wall.

"What card did he show you?"

"Three of spades."

The genius raised one eyebrow at the mischief in Genma's eyes, and Kakashi shook his head.

"He's screwing with you. Most of the time, it won't be this obvious that they're lying." Kakashi pushed off the wall. "And Genma, if you tell him what he wants to know early just so you can get out of here, then I won't hold back in that sparring match you just challenged me to."

Genma's eyes shifted to Shikamaru for a brief moment before returning to Kakashi. The younger man heard him mutter "…bastard," under his breath.

The Copy Ninja walked over to his restrained friend.

"The simulation starts now."

Genma's bandana had the metal 'leaf shinobi' plate attached to the back and Kakashi's hand wiped over the top of his head, pulling the bandana off in the process. He shoved it in his pocket.

"He is _not_ a leaf shinobi, and you need the information he has because people's lives are depending on it. Anything goes. Cause him as much pain as you need to, and don't worry about offending him."

Shikamaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the idea that a particular card could be valuable information, because he knew it wasn't the point.

_The point here is that I have to break him. … I have to break a jonin. Shit. I wonder, though…_Shikamaru's hands folded into their 'thinking' position, and he began to turn over various options in his mind.

Kakashi walked back over to Shikamaru and leaned in to whisper in his ear, interrupting his thoughts.

"Just don't cause him any _permanent_ damage. You have eight hours to get an honest answer; otherwise he wins."

Shikamaru whispered back.

"Define 'permanent'."

"…taking longer than a week to heal."

Shikamaru nodded.

"Unless you don't have what it takes…?" There was an arrogant smirk on Genma's face, and he wiggled the senbon between his teeth to emphasize the taunt.

Kakashi looked at Shikamaru and made a sweeping gesture with his arm as if to say 'he's all yours. What are you gonna do about it?'

Shikamaru stood there for a moment as he resumed his strategizing. After several seconds, he pushed off of the wall and strode over to stand in front of the arrogant 'captive'.

The tension in the room was building, and finally the senbon twitched as Genma's smirk faltered. Shikamaru raised one eyebrow.

_Maybe I can do this after all._

"Uh, Kakashi…what exactly did you just tell him?"

Kakashi apparently had no intention of answering, so Shikamaru filled the silence.

"That's for me to know and you…_not_ to know. Now, would you mind telling me which card he showed you?"

Genma just rolled his eyes.

"…right." He looked at Kakashi. "I hope you didn't call me down here to waste my time. This kid's never gonna get past 'polite inquiries'."

Shikamaru watched Kakashi's reaction carefully out of the corner of his eye. He saw the older ninja gesture with his eyes. It was definitely a 'what are you waiting for? Prove him wrong,' type of motion.

Shikamaru sighed. _I guess they were both serious when they said not to worry about hurting him…_

"How troublesome."

Suddenly the back of his fist was flying toward the senbon user's face. Unfortunately, he saw it coming.

The senbon jumped in Genma's mouth, flicking upwards in a motion that left a long cut along the top of his wrist. Shikamaru's fist connected anyway, but Genma had made his point. Kakashi spoke up casually from his position against the wall.

"You might wanna do something about that thing."

Shikamaru clenched and unclenched his fist a couple of times, watching the blood ooze from the top of his wrist and forearm. He appeared to ignore Kakashi's statement.

_So that's how it is. Alright then; no more warm-up. Time to put my plan into action._

Slowly, a menacing grin spread across Shikamaru's features. He hoped it was convincing as he addressed the seated man.

"Thank you. That's exactly what I needed."

Suddenly his fist was tangled in the back of Genma's shaggy brown hair, pulling his head backward and exposing his throat to whatever weapons Shikamaru might want to threaten him with.

Apparently, Genma hadn't expected such an abrupt reaction. Shikamaru saw him wince in pain for a split second before regaining his relaxed demeanor. He wiggled the senbon tauntingly.

"What are you gonna do, kid? Hit me again?"

Shikamaru's menacing expression didn't falter, but neither did Genma's challenging one. After a brief moment of glaring down at a cocky 'captive', Shikamaru's hand shot up and snatched the dancing senbon harshly. It accidentally cut Genma's lower lip as Shikamaru pulled it out of his mouth.

Genma pouted as Shikamaru lazily inspected the needle-like weapon for several seconds, twirling it in his fingers much like a cigarette. He didn't release the jonin's hair.

"Why are you always sucking on these things?" Shikamaru tapped the end of the weapon against its owner's chin, just under the bleeding cut on his mouth. "They can be pretty dangerous."

"Advertising. Ladies like to know you're good with your mouth."

Shikamaru laughed humorlessly. After a few seconds that seemed to stretch into several minutes, he casually dragged the tip down to rest against the soft spot just under the pulse point on Genma's still exposed throat. He felt the jonin instinctively tense.

"I've been wondering…just how sharp are these things?"

"Go fuck yourself with it. Then you'll know."

"That's not very polite."

He said nothing, and Shikamaru's grip tightened in his hair. He also applied a little more pressure with the senbon.

Shikamaru noticed when Genma's eyes darted over to Kakashi for a split second, and he saw the slight amount of worry in them. Kakashi betrayed nothing.

_He's questioning whether Kakashi told me not to injure him too badly. This is good._

"Now about that card."

"The birthday card? Sorry, I forgot to send it."

In a single motion, Shikamaru wrapped his fist around the senbon and struck Genma with a hard uppercut, releasing his hair in the same instant that his fist connected. The chair's center of balance shifted backward for a moment, but it didn't fall over.

"…_son_ of a _bitch…_"

Genma's eyes were tightly closed, and he was breathing a little harder than before. Shikamaru moved forward to grab him by the collar, but Kakashi interrupted.

"Shikamaru, wait a minute." He looked up to find the Copy Ninja with his head tilted, gazing intently at Genma.

"Too much?"

"No, it's fine. Just give him a minute so he doesn't pass out."

Shikamaru nodded and released the fabric in his hand. _I didn't mean to hit him quite that hard. I'll have to be more careful. It's no good if I knock him out._

A moment later, Genma seemed to have recovered from the shock of the blow. Shikamaru noted the change, and his confident attitude remained intact as he spoke.

"Don't make this more troublesome than it has to be. What card did he show you?"

Genma just scowled, working his jaw for a moment to find out exactly how hard that punch had been.

Shikamaru pocketed the senbon and reached for his collar. Genma silently challenged him to a staring match, and at the last second Shikamaru switched the aim of his punch down to Genma's abdomen. Judging by his grunt, the senbon-less ninja hadn't expected the change.

…_it's going to be a looooong eight hours._

* * *

How did I do? I've only recently discovered the hotness that is Genma, and I've decided to incorporate him into this fic. I'm hoping to keep him in character, but there's so little of him in the anime/manga that it's hard to see much of an established personality.

And yes, Shikamaru has a plan; it's not going to be eight hours of beating the snot out of a fellow leaf shinobi for the sake of a simulation. I'm not that dull, and Shikamaru's not that dumb or cruel. :) You'll just have to wait and see. (I will tell you, though, that this fic is going to continue after the three of them leave the room and will encompass other aspects of interrogation than just this simulation.)

So...tell me what you think? Please?


	2. Chapter 2

Here you go. This one took a little longer.

So...it occurred to me a couple of days ago that maybe I should have given Genma a safe-word or something, but upon further reflection, I decided that the card can replace the safeword, and besides, that's kinda the point of the whole exercise and the reason Kakashi's staying in the room. So if that omission offended anyone, sorry, and I hope that explanation helps. :)

See chapter one for disclaimer information.

* * *

Shikamaru stopped his fist from connecting just inches from Genma's jaw.

"Ready to tell me yet?"

The restrained jonin just raised a bleeding eyebrow, and Shikamaru sighed before resuming his menacing expression and completing the punch.

This had been going on for just over an hour, varying the abuse with periods of silence and spending a little time just talking with the 'informant'. Kakashi was leaning against the wall, and he had pulled out his book about three minutes into the simulation. He was still paying attention to make sure Shikamaru didn't get overly zealous, but there was little danger of that from the lazy genius.

Genma was looking a little worse for the wear. There was a cut on his lip from his senbon and another on his eyebrow, where the angle of a particular punch had been just right. He would have a couple of visible bruises tomorrow. He also had some bruises around his ribs and abdomen that would make him uncomfortable for a while, but no major injuries.

Shikamaru looked at Kakashi. After another few hits, it would be time to move to the next stage of his plan. So far, the scowl hadn't left Genma's face except to alternate with a goading smirk or grin, though Shikamaru knew from one fleeting glance at the beginning of the simulation that the restrained jonin wasn't sure exactly how far Kakashi would allow the simulation to progress.

Shikamaru punched him again, this time with the back of his hand, and followed it with a fist in his stomach. While Genma was doubled over as far as the restraints would allow, Shikamaru walked around behind him and gestured to Kakashi, indicating the door to the small room. The white-haired ninja nodded almost imperceptibly, and Genma saw nothing.

The genius walked back around to the front, drawing a kunai as he did so. Genma watched him warily, licking the cut on his lip to see if it was still bleeding.

Genma felt the weapon against his throat and rolled his eyes. Clearly he was getting bored.

"Seriously, kid?"

"Seriously. This is getting too troublesome. Tell me what the card was."

Genma tipped his head to the side for a moment as he pretended to consider the demand.

"…No."

Shikamaru backhanded him and pressed the weapon to his throat a little harder. He could feel Kakashi watching intently from behind his book.

"Tell me what the card was."

"No."

Shikamaru made no sudden moves this time, but after a couple of seconds, Genma's bored expression faltered into a wince. A single drop of blood trickled casually from under the blade down toward his collar.

Genma's eyes darted over to Kakashi with an expression somewhere between questioning and worried. The Icha Icha book snapped shut and its owner pushed off the wall.

"Shikamaru, a word."

Instantly the kunai left Genma's throat, and the seated ninja relaxed noticably.

Kakashi strode over to the door, and Shikamaru returned the weapon to its holster as he followed the older shinobi.

Once the door closed behind them, Kakashi crossed his arms and looked at Shikamaru, who nodded back toward the door.

"Can he hear us out here?"

"Only if you shout."

He nodded.

"I didn't go too far with the kunai, did I?"

Kakashi cocked his head to the side.

"Almost, but no. No deeper than that cut was, it'll heal in a few days. It was a good strategy to get out of the room. What's up?"

"I have an idea and I need your help."

Kakashi just raised his visible eyebrow.

"And what might that be?"

"I want to use a henge, but I can't use Kage Bushin."

"I see. So you want me to create a shadow clone version of you?"

"Is that alright?"

"What'd you have in mind?"

* * *

Genma looked up when the door opened. It had been nice to have a short break, but now Shikamaru was coming back in…alone?

"Where's Kakashi?"

"Had a quick errand to run."

"Great. Wanna untie me for a minute until he gets back?"

Shikamaru just sat down backwards in the second wooden chair, which had been neglected for most of the morning. He just looked at Genma for several seconds, with the silence growing in the dark, cell-like room.

"Why did you let him rope you into this?"

"I told you that already."

"Yeah, I know. 'Training is important.' I mean why didn't you make him find someone else to sit there?" Shikamaru gestured toward the chair the senbon user was tied to.

Genma tilted his head and fixed the young man with a questioning look for a minute, then finally closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Lemme put it this way: _Never_ let that guy catch you doing something you don't want the world to know about, no matter how drunk you may be. And never _ever_ let him help you hide the evidence of it."

Shikamaru's expression showed that he was curious to know a little more about what could possibly be worth going through a hostile interrogation simulation to cover up, but he didn't pry.

_Probably too 'troublesome',_ Genma smirked to himself, and the two sat in silence for a brief time.

A couple of moments later, the door opened again. This time Kakashi entered, followed closely by a young blonde woman dressed in purple.

It was Shikamaru who spoke first while Ino's shocked eyes took in the sight of the battered jonin tied to a chair.

"Hi Ino."

His voice seemed to make her snap back to life. She turned an angry glare on her seated teammate.

"Nara Shikamaru! How could you!?"

Shikamaru didn't answer. Instead, he looked around the room as if she hadn't spoken at all, and that just seemed to tick the blonde off further.

"Out. Both of you." She turned to look at Kakashi to emphasize the fact that she wasn't too impressed with him at the moment either for condoning the situation.

Shikamaru looked at Kakashi, who surveyed Genma's visible injuries quickly. When his eyes landed on the cut from the kunai just above his collar, he nodded and turned back toward the door. Shikamaru rose from his chair to follow. When Kakashi was about to pass Ino, who was still glaring at both of them, he leaned down to whisper something in her ear.

Ino's glare darkened, but she responded with the formal 'hai' of a subordinate receiving an order that she didn't like.

The door clicked shut, and Ino walked over to stand in front of Genma. He raised one eyebrow curiously as she looked him over.

"Why did you let them do this to you?"

Genma didn't say anything. Instead, he just continued to regard her coolly. She sighed and knelt in front of him, reaching to unzip his jacket.

"I'll use my medical jutsu to undo the damage they've done, and I would untie you if Kakashi-sensei hadn't just specifically ordered me not to."

"No jutsu."

"What?"

"Ino, right?"

She nodded, bewildered that he didn't want her help. He sighed.

"I knew what I was getting myself into and there's a good reason for it. Don't use any jutsu on me or it'll negate the time we've already spent."

She scowled.

"Fine. But I _am_ going to clean you up, and I hope you'll get yourself out of this mess as soon as they come back in." She was reaching into her medical bag as she gave the implied 'order', and she produced a clean white cloth.

"Now why would I do that?"

She glared at him as she dampened the cloth with something from a bottle, probably water or antiseptic.

"Because it's doctor's orders?"

Genma chuckled as she started to dab at the cut over his eye, looking upward to watch her hand.

"That's never worked on me before."

"Shizune says otherwise."

Genma's eyebrows shot up.

"Does she now?"

A devious grin spread across the blonde medic's pretty pink lips.

"Is it true?"

He matched her grin with one of his own.

"It might be."

She moved to the cut on his lip, and she sensuously brushed the cloth over his lower lip before bringing it to wipe away the blood.

"And how many of the other rumors 'might' be true?" She tugged at her own lower lip with her teeth, and his eyes flicked down to watch.

"That depends."

"Oh? Depends on what?"

She pulled the cloth away a little and ran her finger along his bruised jawline, applying just enough pressure when she reached his chin to tell him to tilt his head back. He complied.

"On how many you've heard."

"Enough to be…intrigued." She gently wiped a clean part of the cloth over the cut on his throat, soaking up the single drop of blood that had fallen. His eyes closed.

"Then some of them are true."

"How about the one…that you're good with your hands?"

He smirked without opening his eyes.

"That one's true."

She unzipped his vest and parted it, and he raised his head to see what she was doing. She explained.

"Shikamaru's my teammate, so I know his style. He didn't just keep to your face."

"You sure that's your only motive?"

She looked at him with shock in her eyes, and he almost laughed. Instead, though he just gave her a flirtatious smirk and a wink. Feminine charm quickly replaced the shock on her face.

"Should it be?"

He shrugged.

"Dunno, but it'd be a pity if it was."

She smiled at him as she pulled the hem of his shirt up to inspect his stomach and lower chest, tracing the tip of her index finger straight down the center of his chest and stomach. The muscles jumped under the light touch.

"Well, no cuts here." He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, and she lowered her voice. "But I can't really check any lower with you tied to that chair."

"That's too bad."

"Yeah, cause there's another rumor that I'd really like to know whether it's true…" She looked up at him and tapped her nails on his belt buckle.

"Maybe you can find out later on tonight, after I get done with this simulation."

She pouted.

"But I have a mission starting tonight. It's solo, but I really can't delay it."

"That's too bad."

"What is this stupid 'simulation' for, anyway?"

A hint of suspicion rose behind his flirting eyes.

"They didn't tell you?"

"Just some type of training or something." She scowled. "I'm really going to kick Shikamaru's ass for this, too. There's no way he should've consented to this! You're not the fucking enemy!"

She seemed like she was about to get carried away on her soap box, and Genma just chuckled.

"Calm down, love. It's alright."

"But I was really hoping for a date tonight, and if you're still in here by the time I leave…"

"How long is your mission?"

"Undetermined. Anywhere from two weeks to a month."

Genma frowned, and she continued.

"What's the point of this damn simulation, anyway?"

He studied her carefully for a moment, but all he could see in her eyes was indignation. Surely that kid wouldn't have the balls to try something like this, right?

"Your friend has to get me to tell him what card Kakashi showed me at the beginning."

Ino's face went blank.

"You're shitting me."

Genma raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not."

"Then tell him already! Do you _like_ this kind of pain?"

"Only in certain contexts." Her eyes widened at his playful wink. "But that's not the point."

"That makes me sad." She gave him another flirty smile. "I was hoping for a little…'stress relief' before I have to leave on my mission tonight, but Shikamaru said this thing was going to last until tomorrow morning if he couldn't finish it early."

Genma's eyes widened, first at her suggestion, and then at the idea that he was going to be stuck here until tomorrow morning. He'd known Kakashi to run this simulation that long once before, but…would he do it again?

…_Shit. Of course he would._

"Please tell him the damn card? Otherwise, I'll probably be all alone for the next five hours until I have to leave. That's bad luck, you know." She winked at him.

"Is it?" he muttered absently as his eyes wandered over her, so she continued.

"I know. I'll hang out at that little tea house by the flower shop –you know the one?"

He nodded warily and she lowered her voice.

"If you change your mind before I have to leave, then come let me know. Fair enough?"

He didn't get a chance to answer before the door opened and Kakashi stuck his head in.

"Ino. Time's up."

She stood up and winked at him as she re-zipped his vest, whispering 'remember, five hours from now.' She then turned around and headed out the door without looking back.

When Kakashi and Shikamaru came back in, the latter of the two suspiciously looked Genma up and down.

_Well, I guess he knows his teammate pretty well._ He met his gaze evenly, giving nothing away.

Shikamaru pulled a long strip of cloth out of his hip pouch as he walked over to stand behind the seated jonin. In a matter of seconds, he'd been blindfolded in such a way that no light at all was peeping under the cloth.

"Feel free to tell me what card that was at any time."

Then, after what he supposed could only be a justu of some kind served to render all sounds inaudible and paralyze his body, he sat waiting for whatever would come next.

_At least he's changing it up a little. Naptime._

The lazy genius apparently had no intention of letting him go to sleep. After a couple of minutes, Genma was startled by a painful uppercut. He couldn't even move his body to react to the pain or to pull his head back forward, though, because of that damn paralysis jutsu, so he was left alone with his thoughts, which he allowed to drift back to that beautiful blonde medic.

Every so often at random intervals, pain would punctuate his thoughts and keep him from going to sleep in the dark, silent nothingness.

* * *

Three hours and fifty minutes later, Shikamaru walked around behind Genma, drawing a kunai as he did so. With a flick of his wrist, the wire holding the jonin's hands fell uselessly to the floor.

Genma pulled his arms in front of him, rolling his shoulders and stretching each arm across his body.

"Damn. It's been a while since I've sat that still for that long."

Shikamaru quickly unbound his feet the same way, and Genma stretched his legs in the same manner for a moment before standing up.

Kakashi shut his book and returned it to his hip pouch. Then he pulled his friend's bandana out of his pocket and tossed it to him.

Genma caught the wad of dark blue fabric and adjusted it on his head. That helped him to feel more like himself again, though he knew he still looked pretty rough. He gestured toward the door.

"Shall we?" He grinned at Shikamaru. "I have a date with a pretty blonde medic that I'd hate to miss."

Kakashi answered by opening the door and leading the way out into the hall. Genma followed, and Shikamaru exited last, turning off the lights and closing the door behind him as he spoke.

"No you don't."

Genma turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow as the trio headed back up the corridor toward the stairs. Kakashi chuckled softly.

"Did I miss something?"

"You might say that." There was a grin in Kakashi's voice, and Genma's eyes narrowed. He looked at Shikamaru, who continued staring at the floor ahead of him.

"What's he talking about?"

Shikamaru casually met his gaze for a moment, but broke the eye contact before answering.

"That wasn't Ino."

There was a palpable silence for a moment, and the only sound was three pairs of boots scraping the floor on the way back to daylight. After several tense seconds, Genma's suspicious expression cracked and he just shook his head and grinned.

"Damn."

"I told you he was good."

"I was looking forward to that date, too. Kakashi, when did you learn to act like a girl?"

They reached the stairs and headed upwards, and Kakashi turned his head to look at Genma with a raised eyebrow and silent laughter in his eye.

"That wasn't me."

"Then…wait." He turned to Shikamaru as they climbed the stairs. "You were in the room the same time she was, which means…either you can create shadow clones, or you had Kakashi make a shadow clone of you."

"I can't make shadow clones."

Genma looked between the two of them a couple of times before laughing.

"I can't believe I fell for that. I must be getting rusty."

"I'm sure I can find someone else who could use a little training, if you need the practice." Anyone who didn't know Kakashi very well would have missed the subtle teasing in his tone.

"Not _that_ rusty." Another thought seemed to strike him because his eyes landed calculatingly on Shikamaru. "Then…_that_ was Kakashi…so you didn't hear…which means…" He turned to look at Kakashi again. "It was you asking those questions."

"Mm-hmm."

"Have I told you lately that you're a bastard?"

"I think you mentioned it." There was a bemused smirk in Kakashi's voice.

They passed quickly through the entryway and found themselves back in the glaring sunshine. The two unmasked ninjas winced at the brightness, but as usual, nothing fazed the masked one. Kakashi stopped on the steps and turned to face the other two, who also stopped.

"When do you want to do the next part of the training?" The question was directed at Shikamaru.

He didn't answer immediately because he was too busy wondering what the next part might be. After a couple of seconds he decided on a nice vague reply.

"I'll have to check my mission schedule. I should have something coming up with Ino and Chouji in the next day or two, whenever Ino gets back from her current mission."

Genma's eyes widened for a second, and then he just closed his eyes and chuckled, shaking his head at the ground.

Kakashi seemed satisfied with Shikamaru's vagueness, because his visible eye closed in a friendly grin. He disappeared with a wave, leaving a poof of leaves and two shinobi staring after him.

Genma descended the rest of the steps and motioned for Shikamaru to walk with him. For a couple of moments, the two continued in silence.

Shikamaru reached into his pocket and produced a box of cigarettes along with the senbon he'd snatched away earlier. He offered the weapon to its owner, who accepted it.

"Thanks."

"Sure. You smoke?" He pulled a cigarette from the box as he spoke.

"Nah." Genma wiped the oversized needle against his sleeve before returning it to its rightful place in his mouth. "Those things'll kill you, you know." Shikamaru knew it wasn't a jab. He was just making conversation.

"Only if I live that long."

"Hm."

"Do I want to know the next stage?"

Genma's eyebrows lifted, and the senbon followed suit.

"Lung cancer?"

Shikamaru cracked a smile around his cigarette as he lit it. It was easy to see why Kakashi was friends with this guy.

"Training."

"Not really, but let me ask you this: How far are you willing to go to learn this stuff?"

Shikamaru took a long drag on his cigarette. He held the smoke in his lungs for a moment as he searched for his answer, then blew it out. He could feel the senbon user watching him nonchalantly as they walked, and he flicked the ash off the end of his cigarette.

"As much trouble as it is, I've seen too much to quit…at least, until…" he trailed off, but Genma didn't press for an ending to the statement. Instead, he asked a different question after a moment's hesitation.

"What'd you see?"

Shikamaru glanced at him and returned the cigarette to his lips.

"Kakashi-sensei."

Genma nodded knowingly.

"Ah. That'll do it."

They walked a bit further without speaking, and then Genma had another question for the genius.

"So your teammate's not even in the village?"

"…nope."

"She really a medic?"

Shikamaru looked at him.

"Yeah."

"She really that…spunky?"

"That's a kind word."

"Hey, don't knock it till you try it. The 'spunky' ones tend to be a lot of fun."

"You mean spunky as in domineering or spunky as in…?"

"Either one."

"…you do realize she's my age."

"I figured. That sucks."

"Prefer the older 'spunky ones'?"

The senbon shifted to the other side of his mouth.

"Not so much 'older' as just 'more experienced'."

"Ino might surprise you then."

Genma gave Shikamaru a surprised look.

"Then maybe an introduction would be in order."

"Are you serious?"

"Sure, why not? I'm harmless enough. Unless you and her…?" He could see the shock on the younger man's face followed closely by disdain, and he smirked. _That's definitely a 'no'._ "I'm not saying I want to do anything with her, but she seems interesting, at least."

"She is that."

"You protective of her?"

Shikamaru shook his head, blowing out another cloud of smoke.

"You mean do I cock-block for her? Hell no. She's too much trouble to try to control, and she actually does a decent job of that on her own. She likes to flirt more than she likes to carry through. Usually, anyway."

"Heartbreaker, huh?"

"I guess."

Genma nodded thoughtfully as Shikamaru looked around. He hadn't bothered to ask where he was walking, but he decided now that it might be a good thing to know.

"Where are you headed?"

"The clinic."

Shikamaru didn't look at him this time, but his lack of eye contact betrayed his thoughts anyway. Genma stopped and sighed, and Shikamaru stopped too. He still didn't look at the jonin.

"I told you before, don't worry about it. I'd be fine just going home, but there's a certain pink-haired medic on duty and I can't see missing a chance to go flirt with her."

"I thought you preferred the more experienced ones?"

Genma laughed.

"Oh, I do. Sakura knows that too, so there's no harm in a little innocent flirting." He shifted the senbon. "And she'll have my head if I don't go let her patch me up."

He could still feel the lingering awkwardness coming from Shikamaru, and it wasn't doing anybody any good. Genma dropped his voice back into seriousness.

"I knew Kakashi had a lot of faith in you, and now I can see why. That was a good strategy you used to trick me. Was that your paralysis jutsu?"

"Yeah."

"The shadow thing, right?"

"No, but it's similar."

"It was good. You know, I'm actually impressed you were able to pull that off."

Shikamaru knew he was referring to the whole plan. He finally met the speaker's eyes, and it was clear that he was on the verge of believing him. Genma lowered his voice confidentially.

"Besides. I won't tell, if you won't. But I do want you to introduce me to Ino sometime."

"You're shameless, aren't you?" Shikamaru's voice lacked any form of rebuke.

"'Fraid so." Genma grinned.

Shikamaru shrugged casually and nodded, and Genma was satisfied that the young man wouldn't beat himself up over the events of the day. He extended his hand and Shikamaru took it, looking a little unsure.

"I'll see you around, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru felt his last bit of anxiety over the simulation melt away. Genma's eyes were warm and friendly, and he had called him by his name instead of 'kid'. Shikamaru used his free hand to pull his cigarette from his mouth as they shook hands...like friends.

"Yeah. Later."

* * *

Okay. Woot! I have part of the next chapter written. It's going to be almost exclusively Genma and Ino -the real Ino this time. lol I should have it up pretty soon, whenever I either finish it or decide to split it in half, since it's already a lot longer than most of my chapters. It's almost complete smut, I'll warn you.

Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Here's the next installment!

Thanks muchly to my reviewers! I really appreciate the input, and I wish I'd been able to take the suggestion about not splitting anything up.

So, um, unfortunately, I ended up not getting to the..._cough_..."adult" part in this chapter. There were some other things that were demanding to be dealt with first, and it was just kinda flowing. Mostly. There's a couple of transitions I'm not thrilled with, but you'll have to let me know if they're as rough as I think they are.

Disclaimer information: See chapter 1.

Enjoy!

Oh, and by the way, yes, I know that Genma is a lot older than Naruto and his peers, but he's also not ancient, or even as old as Kakashi. It's all going to work out. I promise.

* * *

Two days after Shikamaru's introduction to 'interrogation training', Ino had returned successfully from her mission and all three had completed an easy single-night mission. This morning she had roped the lazy genius and their 'big-boned' teammate into treating her to an early lunch at their favorite barbeque house. Shikamaru was having a difficult time meeting her eyes after he had 'used' her form the other day, but fortunately, she was too busy chattering about how successful her two back-to-back missions had been to notice.

Chouji, on the other hand, was a little more perceptive about his best friend than their female companion. He paused just long enough between bites to ask about it from across the table when Ino paused for a breath.

"Oy, Shikamaru. You're not eating as much as you usually do." Munch. "What's wrong?"

This caught Ino's attention, and she turned to look at Shikamaru. As long as the three of them had been together, she knew to trust Chouji's instincts about the lazy genius because unfortunately, he could read Shikamaru better than anyone.

Shikamaru could feel the pressure of his teammates' eyes on him, waiting for an answer. He popped a piece of barbequed pork in his mouth, shooting Chouji a cold look as he took his time chewing. Unfortunately, when he finally swallowed, neither of his teammates had relented.

_They must be getting used to me. I guess I'll have to try harder to be boring…what a pain._

"It's nothing. Just some training I've been doing."

Two pairs of eyebrows raised in a prompt for him to go on. When he just took another very deliberate bite, Ino apparently decided it was time to start prying.

"Training? What kind?"

Shikamaru sighed. They clearly had no intention of letting him off the hook.

_Damn._

"I've just been working with Kakashi-sensei a little on some things he thinks I could use help with." _Please don't let them ask for details._

Unfortunately, Ino had realized by now that he didn't want to talk about it, and therefore it was a juicy secret that she refused to let slip away. Her big blue eyes had taken on that inquiring twinkle, and Chouji had slowed down in his eating to pay closer attention to the conversation.

"Things like?"

_Damn. I'm going to have to tell them. I wonder how vague she'll let me be._

"Information gathering."

"Come on, Shikamaru. That's easy stuff! We learned that back when we were genins!" She gave him a conspiratory smile. "What's he really helping you with?"

"…I'd rather not say."

Finally Chouji spoke up again.

"Come on, man. We're your team. Don't you think it's important for each of us to know what the others can do?" He was grinning as he chewed.

Shikamaru shot another glare at his best friend. _Damn him for knowing exactly what I would say to me. _

"Just some stuff about interrogating prisoners."

Chouji gobbled down another piece of meat, never taking his eyes off Shikamaru as he waited for more of the explanation. Ino leaned forward with her elbows on the table, propping her chin on her palms. She was very interested now, and nothing would stop her from prying the information out of him. Shikamaru sighed. Maybe _she_ should be the one learning to extract information.

"What else is there to tell? It's just another form of information gathering. Not that exciting."

Ino blinked and smiled innocently.

"Then why does it have you so distracted? Nothing ever bothers you unless it's a big deal."

Shikamaru forced himself to meet her gaze and hold it while he gathered his nerve and chose his words. He could tell her about the training without making her suspect that she'd played a part in it, right?

"It's just a little more intense than I like to deal with."

"Intense?" Chouji munched another mouthful. "How?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at their pestering. He put his chopsticks down and looked squarely at each of them.

"Kakashi-sensei is teaching me the art of hostile interrogation. How do you _think_ it might be 'intense'?"

Two pairs of eyes widened at his forthrightness. Apparently they had either overestimated his stubbornness, or the topic was bothering him a little more than he cared to admit. _Maybe…a little of both?_

Ino was the one to break the silence.

"You mean…like…_torture?_" She whispered the word with wide eyes like it was a taboo, and Shikamaru figured that among most chuunin, genin, and medics, it may well be exactly that. Chouji paused his meal to add to his own question to hers.

"Dude. What kind of training is that? You don't look like you've been through…" he trailed off, apparently deciding it was better not to finish the statement.

"You mean I don't look like I've been to hell and back?"

Chouji nodded uncertainly, and Ino's scrutiny intensified.

"That's because I haven't." He picked his chopsticks back up, hoping they'd allow the conversation to move on but knowing it was too much to ask.

"Then…how…?" Chouji's eyes narrowed, and he actually put his chopsticks down for a moment. "What part of it is he helping you with?"

Ino glanced at her larger teammate, realizing where he was going with his question. She turned back to Shikamaru eagerly and nervously awaiting his answer. The victim of this friendly grilling just sighed and found an interesting stain on the table to stare at.

"…all of it."

"So, so far, have you just done theory, or…are you working on…practical application?" Ino this time.

"…both."

Her eyes widened.

"Then the reason _you_ don't look like hell…" Her eyes narrowed on him, and he resisted the urge to flinch under her icy appraisal. "Show me your hands."

"Why?"

"Because."

"That's not a reason."

"It is if you want me to ever quit bitching at you for more than ten seconds."

Chouji almost smirked, but instead he opted to pick his chopsticks back up and resume eating. Shikamaru slumped in defeat and reluctantly offered his hands across the table, palms up.

Ino took his hands in her own and turned them over, brushing her thumbs calculatingly over his skin as her trained eyes assessed them. She looked up at him sharply.

"Your knuckles are bruised. How intense was that…what do you even call it?" Her tone was not kind.

"It was a simulation, and Kakashi didn't give me much of a choice."

Chouji piped up again.

"So…who was your victim?"

"…nobody you know."

Ino let go of his hands and sat back, crossing her arms as she did so.

"Lucky for you. Was it someone I patched up at the hospital?"

Shikamaru sighed, pulling his hands back into his lap.

"Nope. I don't know how cruel you think I am, but he was fine."

"Those bruises are deep."

Shikamaru scowled. He had never liked getting grilled, but ignoring his teammates' questions and implied questions would only prolong the discomfort.

"…he volunteered."

"Why?"

"You'd have to ask him."

"Him who?"

"Nobody you know."

"Then what's the harm in telling me?"

"I didn't come here so you could interrogate me."

Chouji seemed to have relented already, knowing that if Shikamaru wanted to discuss it, he would do so when he was ready and until then, it was pointless to pry. Ino had no such mercy in her, and she sat for a moment just staring at him as if her eyes could burn the answer out of him. He just picked his own chopsticks back up and went back to picking at his lunch.

After several tense seconds of being pointedly ignored, Ino decided to change tactics. She resumed eating as well, and after a couple of bites, she spoke again in a less accusing tone.

"Okay then, fine. Will you at least tell me how it went?"

Instantly, Shikamaru's guard went up. Did she already suspect her part in the simulation?

"What do you mean?"

"The 'simulation'. Did you…win?"

"…yeah."

Chouji, sensing that the atmosphere had dissipated enough to be safely re-entered, joined back into the conversation.

"How?"

Shikamaru glanced over at him and suppressed a defeated sigh.

"I tricked him, okay?"

Ino looked at him suspiciously.

"So…you didn't just beat him to a bloody pulp?"

"…no."

"Then what about the bruises on your hands?"

"…that was part of the trick."

"I knew it."

Shikamaru's eyes jumped up to meet hers, and for once he let his famous indifferent expression slip into something slightly more frustrated.

"What do you want me to say, Ino!?"

He hadn't meant to startle her by the edge in his voice, but apparently he had. Her eyes were fixed on him with a surprised expression that quickly melted into a meek one, dropping to her plate where she was pushing food around.

Chouji paused with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth, sensing the icy tension in the air. His eyes flicked between his two teammates, whose normal roles of 'harasser' and 'harassed' had temporarily been traded.

When she answered, her voice was a lot quieter.

"That you had a damn good reason to abuse another human being just for the sake of training, and that you didn't enjoy it."

Shikamaru's jaw dropped a little. He had expected her to jump down his throat, but instead of raising her voice to him, she had become extremely vulnerable. His eyes softened on his teammate, and his voice lost the harshness.

"I didn't enjoy it. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do."

Ino ventured a glance up at him.

"Then…why?"

"Because…"

Shikamaru sighed and sat back in the booth, staring intently at his hands as if they might give him some incredibly insightful answer that his friend could accept without revealing his own fear of the topic. After a couple of moments, he looked up to find her searching his eyes.

"Because it's just something I have to do. I need to learn this."

Ino's eyes widened a tad, but she didn't say anything else. She just nodded slightly.

Unfortunately for Shikamaru, she didn't have a chance to say anything else, because at that moment, a voice spoke from beside their booth.

"Shikamaru, how's it going."

He resisted the urge to grimace as he turned to confirm the identity of the speaker.

_Ah, shit._

"Genma." He responded to the offered fist with a friendly bump of his own knuckles. "Nice timing." He intentionally held back most of the sarcasm in his voice, but he was glad to see that apparently Sakura had been able to remove all evidence of their earlier interaction.

Ino's eyes had quickly evaluated their visitor, and Shikamaru recognized the flirtatious air that came over her.

_Here we go again._

"Shikamaru, don't be rude. Who's your friend?" She smiled sweetly up at the jonin, who gave her a warm grin around the ever-present senbon.

Shikamaru sighed. At least he was off the hook.

"Ino, Chouji, this is Genma. Genma, my team. Yamananka Ino and Akimichi Chouji."

The brown-haired shinobi nodded to each of them. Chouji returned the gesture, and Ino smiled sweetly at him. Shikamaru didn't miss the way the jonin's eyes lingered on her for an extra second before turning back to him.

"Kakashi's looking for you. Wants to know if you're busy tomorrow night."

Ino's eyes narrowed, and Shikamaru pretended not to notice.

"Are you officially his errand boy now?"

"Not quite." The senbon twitched mischievously, and Shikamaru noticed how the older ninja's eyes flicked over to Ino for a split second before returning to Shikamaru with a subtle smirk.

"I was just passing by and thought I'd drop in to say hello."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. _That's what we get for sitting at the window._

"Ah. No, tomorrow night's good."

Ino had put two and two together, and it showed in her eyes. If Chouji had done the same, he was considerate enough to pretend he hadn't. Ino shifted and her smile turned back to the one she used whenever she was up to no good. Shikamaru recognized it and groaned inwardly.

"Genma? How do you know Shikamaru?"

The senbon user turned his attention back to her and grinned.

"Just through some training. Why?"

"Would that be…'information gathering' training?"

He raised an eyebrow and cut his eyes over toward Shikamaru with an inquiring lift of the weapon in his mouth. The younger shinobi subtly shook his head, signaling that no, he hadn't given any details. Genma turned back to Ino with an unreadable expression, but it wasn't unfriendly.

"It might be. Why do you ask?"

She shrugged.

"I'm just curious about what kind of training my favorite genius has been doing. He hasn't been very talkative about it." She put on her cutest pout. "Would you care to fill in some of the blanks for me?" Her voice was dripping with feminine charm.

Genma glanced back at Shikamaru, who had closed his eyes and slumped into the seat, seemingly resigned to whatever cruelness Ino had planned for him.

Apparently, Genma really was a good guy after all. He spared Shikamaru, leaning to rest his knuckles on the edge of the table and towering over Ino with a charming glint in his own eyes.

"It was nothing interesting. I'd me a lot more interested in hearing about _you._ Shikamaru didn't quite do you justice."

"It seems you have an advantage, then. He hasn't mentioned you."

"Too bad. I've heard you're a real ace with the boys' hearts."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. He figured Genma was probably laughing at him on the inside, and his little reference to what the card had been was his way of showing it. Ino didn't appear to understand the reference, but that was okay. For once, she didn't press the issue.

Ino shifted in her seat, turning more to face her newest acquaintance.

"I remember you from the Chuunin Exams, right?"

"Yes ma'am, you certainly do."

Chouji was proudly savoring the Last Bite, and Ino turned to face her boys.

"Why don't you two go wait for me at the training grounds? I'll be along in a little while."

Shikamaru sighed and obeyed like a well-trained puppy, pausing to whisper a quick 'I owe you one, man' to Genma. Chouji, on the other hand, just eyed the handsome, brown-haired jonin suspiciously. Ino's voice turned a little firmer.

"Don't worry, Chouji. I'm a big girl. I promise not to get lost." She slid out of the booth to let him by, and he grudgingly followed Shikamaru. The boys stopped at the counter to pay for lunch, then they were gone.

Ino slid back into the booth, scooting over to Chouji's seat and patting the empty space beside her, which Genma accepted with a friendly grin and a twitch of a senbon.

* * *

Ino and Genma had been shooting the breeze and flirting for about three minutes before the topic had turned back to Shikamaru's secret training, which Genma had smoothly redirected toward other forms of interrogation. Inevitably with two of the biggest flirts in Konoha, that had led to a discussion of seduction for information-gathering purposes, and Ino was feeling cocky, apparently.

"I'm not worried about ever being seduced. No guy has ever managed to make me beg, and I don't think they'll ever be able to."

There was a pause as the blonde speaker beamed confidently.

"Careful, little girl. I might take that as a challenge, if I was that kind of guy."

"Oh? And what kind of guy is that?" Ino looked innocently back at the senbon user, who just cocked his eyebrow. The needle-like weapon between his teeth lifted as he leaned close to her, lowering his voice.

"The kind that likes to take advantage of an innocent girl."

She lowered her voice in response.

"Pity. That's the kind I like."

"…is it now."

He sat back up in the booth, and she followed suit.

"Mm-hmm. But I guess you do look pretty innocent…I wouldn't want to get you into trouble."

"It's my greatest advantage." He gave her a winning grin before lowering his voice. "And maybe _you're_ not as innocent as I thought."

"I'm as innocent as I want to be." She traced her purple fingernail lightly along the edge of the tabletop as if there was some incredibly interesting design that only she could see.

Genma didn't bother to look away from the gesture, idly imagining that fingernail tracing that pattern on his stomach. She was watching him demurely out of the corner of her eye.

"So…just what type of guy are you then?"

He looked at her carefully with one eyebrow raised. Shikamaru had said she was more talk than action, but…should he encourage it in someone so young?

"The kind that likes slightly more experienced women."

"Sounds like my lucky day."

The senbon twitched.

"I don't think you know what you're trying to get yourself into, little girl."

"Your pants?"

Genma couldn't hide his surprise at her forwardness so he just masked it with a cough. She winked at him with a Cheshire grin, and _damn_ it was hot! He let his eyes wander casually down her body and back up again, and when he returned to her face, he saw a confident expression.

"You're awfully confident for someone so young." He raised his hand to brush an imaginary stray hair behind her ear, lowering his voice. "You really think you could resist my charm…" he trailed the backs of his fingers lightly down the small bit of exposed skin of her neck, leaning forward to whisper in her ear, "…behind closed doors?"

She closed her eyes, shamelessly enjoying the caress. When his hand reached purple fabric of her high collar, she looked at him without turning her head. She dropped her voice to match his sexy tone.

"I think I'd like to find out."

He pulled his hand away as he smirked with his eyes.

"…you sure about that? I didn't peg you for a one-night-stand type."

She ran her hands casually down her body, so that to anyone else in the barbecue house it looked like she was just smoothing out her clothes. Genma didn't miss the way her hands lingered over her chest and on the front of her hips, though, and he knew it was for his benefit.

He successfully resisted the urge to shift and make himself more comfortable. He was no amateur, after all. She leaned in close.

"Do I look like a little girl to you, Genma, or do I look like a grown woman?"

It was clearly a rhetorical question, but he felt his southern thinking apparatus answer anyway. Those adult curves were dangerous on a kunoichi. Ino continued.

"You know, I see the way boys look at me, but I'm not really interested in any of them."

"Maybe the other _girls_ should look out, then?" he teased.

Ino smiled wickedly.

"Maybe they should. Otherwise, I'll beat them to whatever _man_ I decide I want."

_She's sure not pulling punches. That over-confidence could get her in trouble._

He turned to face her a little more, not bothering to hide his semi-arousal. He noticed when her eyes dropped to his lap, then widened slightly before she gave him a seductive smile.

"And what if that _man_ beats you at your own game?"

"Then I guess I'll be put in my place."

… _Ah, what the hell. She's gotta learn sometime, and better me than an enemy. I guess I'll take another one for the team._ He smirked to himself.

He saw her eyes flick down to his mouth, and she licked her lips.

_Time for a sample, then._

He smirked devilishly and leaned toward her a little. She followed suit, batting her eyelashes and tilting her head slightly.

"What time do you normally eat dinner, little girl?" He reached up and pulled the senbon smoothly out of his mouth.

"Around eight thirty. Why?" There was an innocent smile playing at the corners of her mouth as she leaned even closer. "Got a cheesy pick-up line you want to use on me?"

He dropped his voice.

"You think I need one?"

He leaned forward the rest of the way to capture her mouth in a light kiss. He spent a few seconds caressing her lips with his own, and then he felt her tongue running over his teeth as she sought entrance into his mouth. He denied it with a mischievous half-grin.

Her lip gloss tasted like watermelon, and he teased her by slipping his own tongue out and just running it lightly over her lips. He felt her open her mouth, inviting him to explore, but he didn't accept the offer. There would be plenty of time for that later when he could make her beg for it.

Her hand found his knee, and he felt feminine fingers beginning to slide deliciously up the inside of his thigh.

Abruptly, he pulled back from the kiss and caught her wrist with a teasing glint in his eyes. A shadow of surprise passed briefly over her features before being replaced with a sexy pout as he gently but firmly placed her hands back in her own lap. He casually returned the senbon to its normal perch between his teeth.

She smiled sweetly and crossed her legs, making sure to flash him a little of her fishnet-wrapped thigh in the process. The gesture didn't go unnoticed -or unappreciated.

Genma stood up and turned toward the door. When he had almost reached it and Ino was certain that she'd just ruined any chance of bedding him, he turned his head to speak to her over his shoulder.

"I'll pick you up at eight."

Then with the flick of a senbon he was gone, and Ino practically melted into the booth.

* * *

So, what do you think? The next chapter is pretty much pure smut, and not for the kids. It's mostly written, and I'll have it up in a few days after I've revised it to my little heart's content. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to split the smut to cover two chapters, because to be honest...it's getting a little out of hand. lol But I promise it relates to the overall theme of the fic, so don't abandon me! :)

I've never written a lemon before, so I didn't think it'd be so...whatever it is. Long, I guess. The next chapter is going to be almost twice as long as this one was, if that piques your interest.


	4. Chapter 5

I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I just haven't had the inspiration to buckle down, because my mind has been exploring possibilities for my other stories and the future of this one! :) I really really really appreciate all your reviews!

Anyways, here's the next installment. Yay!

Disclaimer reminder: See chapter one.

* * *

Shikamaru fiddled with the envelope in his hand as he walked. Why he should have to be up so freaking early just to deliver it for his mother when his dad was going to be headed past the Hokage's Tower this afternoon was beyond him. His mother's irritating voice rang in his head, determined to remind him.

'Because this paperwork needs to be there by nine o'clock this morning!'

He rolled his eyes. Just as he was about to launch a mental protest against the demands of bossy women, a flash of white caught his eye in the direction of Ichiraku Ramen.

"Yo."

Shikamaru glanced to his left to see Kakashi now walking beside him.

"Hey."

Kakashi gestured to the envelope.

"Courier duty?"

Shikamaru nodded dejectedly.

"My mom."

"Ah."

A couple of strides passed in silence before Shikamaru spoke again.

"I saw Genma yesterday. Said you were looking for me?"

"Yeah. Busy tonight?"

"Not that I know of."

"Good. I figure it'd be a good time to start on the next stage."

"Next stage?"

"Hn."

"What might that be?"

"Defense."

Shikamaru took a deep breath and switched the envelope to his other hand.

"Another simulation?"

"…you could call it that."

"…right. Dare I ask what else you could call it?"

Kakashi tilted his head to the side a tiny bit.

"Genjustu."

Shikamaru's eyes flicked over to the older shinobi.

"…you want to put me under an illusion?"

Kakashi shrugged a nod.

"Close enough."

_I'm almost afraid to ask any more, but somehow it doesn't seem wise to jump in blind. Damn._

"_How_ close?"

"It's not just any illusion. I'll be using the Sharingan."

Shikamaru blinked. Had Kakashi really just suggested…?

"Is that…necessary?"

Kakashi nodded.

"There are other ways, but none of them will give you a feel for what it's really going to be like. If you want to know your breaking point, then the Sharingan is the best way."

Shikamaru shoved his free hand into his pocket.

_What in the HELL have I gotten myself into?_

Images of Kakashi interrogating the Rain ninja came flooding into his mind, along with the sounds of the unfortunate man's unrestrained screams while under the influence of the Sharingan. And now Kakashi was suggesting that Shikamaru willingly submit to it? An unpleasant shiver worked its way down his spine.

"It's not an order, and I won't force you. But I do think you should consider it."

The younger genius nodded. He was having a little trouble wrapping his brilliant mind around Kakashi-sensei's idea, but he probably should have expected something a little on the extreme side when he accepted the offer for help with interrogation training. After all, it was no secret that Sakura and Naruto had undergone a few…'unorthodox' training exercises during the time they'd spent under the man's instruction. Why would this be any different?

"And you want to do this tonight?"

He nodded.

"You don't have to decide right now. I just wanted to give you some time to think about it, since it can be a little intense."

_Something tells me that's a bit of an understatement._

"So I'll let you know tonight?"

"Right."

There was a momentary pause as Shikamaru's mind raced with questions. He decided to delay asking the ones about tonight, since he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answers anyway.

"Did you ever train under that type of…simulation?"

Kakashi's eye closed upward, revealing that he was grinning as he rubbed the back of his neck idly.

"Ah, no. I got launched into the real thing before I had a chance. When I got back from it, I did try some training with Ibiki."

"What kind?"

"…just some traditional style 'simulations'."

"Did they help?"

"Not really. I knew they weren't real."

Shikamaru let out a slow breath.

"Ah."

Another moment passed in silence as the two meandered toward the Hokage's Tower.

"What all did they involve?"

Kakashi looked carefully at Shikamaru for a moment before answering.

_Probably wondering why I'm asking so many questions. Actually, why am I? …Nerves?_

"He went over some resistance techniques with me, and then put them to use. I'll go over that with you tonight, too."

"So…where should I meet you?"

"Same place as before. Around six good?"

Shikamaru nodded thoughtfully.

"Anything else I should know about this plan?"

Kakashi cocked his head to the side in thought.

"Nothing comes to mind. Whatever you decide, eat a light supper before you come. And you should tell your folks not to worry if you don't come home tonight."

Shikamaru nodded again thoughtfully as he turned the idea over in his mind. The idea still scared him shitless, but then again so did the idea of finding out his breaking point at the hands of the enemy, when lives were at stake and not just his own comfort level.

_I've committed to this training already, and I can't quit halfway through. No matter how much I'd like to. It's a pain, but…I don't really have much of a choice. I'm going to have to trust him._

"I'll do it."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow.

"Hm?"

Shikamaru's shoe scuffed the ground and he looked down at it.

"The genjutsu you want to use. I don't need all day to think about it. I'll do it."

There was a tense pause for a second, but Kakashi's eye revealed nothing about what he might be thinking.

"I see." After another few seconds of scrutinizing the younger shinobi, Kakashi's expression broke into a friendly grin.

_Almost like we weren't just discussing the best way to screw with my head. Go figure._

"Well, I've gotta run. Naruto will be getting impatient…" he looked up at the sky, checking the position of the sun, "oops. He was probably getting impatient half an hour ago." He chuckled sheepishly.

Shikamaru couldn't decide between laughing or rolling his eyes, so he settled on a raised eyebrow as Kakashi gave his signature two-fingered wave and disappeared.

_And now…I have all day to look forward to being tortured. Beautiful._

* * *

Shikamaru looked around the room as he followed Kakashi into it. It was the same room he'd interrogated Genma in several nights ago, and he was surprised to find that it was furnished slightly differently now.

There were still two wooden chairs, but they were pushed against the wall. There was a large water jug in the corner with four cups beside it. A bedroll was spread out against the opposite wall, and Sakura and Genma were seated near the wall opposite the door playing a card game. They looked up when Kakashi and Shikamaru entered.

"Hey."

Shikamaru nodded to them, but he suspected that his face betrayed his confusion at their presence because Kakashi explained.

"Sakura's here because it's a good chance to study the effects of the Sharingan, and just incase things get a little too real."

_What the...I guess he means incase I go into shock or something._

"Ah."

"I can't believe you agreed to this, Shikamaru."

He looked at his pink-haired friend for a moment before shrugging noncommittally. She just shook her head.

"I've seen the effects of the Sharingan. They can be pretty harsh."

"That's the point, Sakura. You already checked with Tsunade-sama, remember?"

Her eyes narrowed at her former sensei.

"That still doesn't mean I have to like it."

Kakashi grinned with his visible eye and shrugged, and Sakura didn't say anything more. She knew she wasn't going to change their minds.

Shikamaru looked at Genma, who lifted the senbon between his teeth in a friendly acknowledgement and explained.

"I'm extra. Nothing better to do, and Sakura needed some company." He winked at the medic, who rolled her eyes and selected a card from her hand to lay on the ground.

"He's not _just_ extra. You're not going to remember this, so he's here as a witness and in case we need any errands run."

Kakashi pulled one of the chairs away from the wall and straddled it backwards, and Shikamaru followed suit.

"I think I told you I'd go over some resistance techniques with you before we start?" Kakashi's voice was low, presumably to shield Sakura from the brutality of the conversation the two were about to have.

He nodded with an indifferent expression that he wasn't sure he felt.

"Right. So…first…hmm. I think you've figured out by now that mocking is an option. If the interrogator is easily flustered, being a smart-ass can be a good way to turn things around on him."

Shikamaru thought of Genma's cocky expression the other day, and his comments about forgetting birthday cards and the like. He also remembered the unwavering defiance on Kakashi's face when all this had started in that ambush, and he nodded thoughtfully.

"It shows you haven't given up yet."

"Right. And sometimes, you're going to need to remind yourself of that as much as remind them."

_I hadn't thought of it that way, but it makes sense._ He nodded again.

"Other than that…when he's attacking you directly, you have to distance yourself from the pain when it starts to be too much. Try to pass out if you can, or start thinking clinically of the injuries. When you start to think that way, it can take your mind off the pain and help you assess what damage you're taking."

"In images?"

"If that's the way your mind works, then yes. Anything for a distraction, and broken bones are pretty easy to picture. Think about exactly what's moving and how, and whether or not it should be moving. If it makes you sick to think about, then find something else to picture."

"Seems simple enough."

"Hn. If he's attacking someone you care about…it depends on the person."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"This is going to sound pretty harsh, but you have to decide first if they're going to carry through with a threat, and if they are, then you have to decide if more lives can be saved by giving up the information or by letting them carry through with the threat."

"You mean…"

Kakashi's voice took on a cold and empty tone.

"Yes. I mean that sometimes, you have to let them go. Particularly if the information you're guarding could cost a catastrophic amount of lives, and the person being threatened recognizes it and is willing to die to protect those lives."

"And how do you cope with that?"

"You tell yourself that it's an illusion. The person isn't really there. And if you find out later that they really did die for the information, you know that person is a hero and you live to make them proud."

"Is that illusion a common tactic?"

"I've seen it a couple of times. Ibiki uses it a good deal."

"And if they're not willing, or they're too important?"

"I can't answer that for you. Just know that sometimes, you have to put the lives of the many before the lives of a few."

Shikamaru's throat was dry so he just nodded again, then looked to the copy ninja for whatever he was going to say next. Kakashi regained his normal cheery demeanor.

"Anything else I should know?"

"Anything else, you're going to have to learn on your own."

"So...now what?"

"Now we get started."

He gestured toward the bedroll, and the younger genius raised his eyebrow. He could feel the two card-playing ninjas' eyes on him as Kakashi answered the unspoken question.

"You're going to collapse…might as well avoid a concussion. Take a seat against the wall."

Unable to argue with that logic, Shikamaru moved toward the place Kakashi had gestured toward. Sakura put her cards face down on the ground and gave Genma a threatening glare before joining him.

Once he was seated semi-cross-legged in the center of the bedroll, Sakura crouched beside him as she explained herself.

"Before you get started I just want to check your vitals for a baseline comparison."

She gestured for his hand and he complied. Her fingers slipped under the wristband of his netted undershirt sleeves to rest on his pulse point, and for several seconds the room was silent as she stared intently at her watch. Finally she nodded and released his wrist.

Next she formed a seal and her hand glowed a very faint shade of green, and she laid it over his heart in what he recognized as the standard procedure for checking blood pressure. After a couple of seconds, she broke the silence in the room with a soft voice.

"Nervous?"

_Am I that obvious? Then again, she probably knows the signs…_

"Some."

She dropped her hand from its position on his chest.

"You'll be fine. Look down."

She moved her hand to the back of his neck under the collar of his vest when he obeyed, probably checking his temperature and seeing how tense he was. After a couple of seconds she sat back and he looked up again.

"Alright. That's all I need."

Shikamaru nodded and she knelt beside him, waiting for Kakashi.

The copy ninja crouched in front of Shikamaru as he pulled his forehead protector up to reveal the eye he usually kept hidden. The younger genius tried not to look nervous.

Part of him wanted to ask what to expect, but the other part suspected that he didn't want to know. This was a weapon about to be used on him, and he had to remember that he did trust its user.

"You ready?"

"Not really."

"Last chance to change your mind."

"I wish."

Kakashi nodded.

"Let's make sure we're clear. You're here because you want to know your breaking point, right?"

He nodded.

"I'll try not to screw you up too badly, and once we're done, if you want I can go back and erase some of the more…intense parts. I'll leave that up to you."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, unsure how to respond. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Genma shake his head in either pity or disbelief as Kakashi continued.

"Whatever it takes, though, I _will_ break you. Is that what you're here for?"

He swallowed as the images of Kakashi in ANBU Interrogation mode flashed through his head. This time he knew _exactly_ what he was getting himself into, and it was already scaring him shitless. Once again, he wished he could quit but knew he was already in way too deep to back out. He took a deep breath.

"…yeah."

"Sakura, Genma. Look away for a minute."

Shikamaru saw them both turn their heads and instinctively close their eyes, and he felt his stomach tighten and his heart rate speed up. Kakashi had both eyes open now, but hadn't yet activated the Sharingan.

"Shikamaru, look at me."

He did, expecting to be plunged into some terrible genjutsu instantly. Instead, Kakashi was just looking back at him for the time being.

"Trust me."

"…I do."

In the next instant, Shikamaru saw the Sharingan begin to swirl and felt his body jerk and then slump against the wall.

* * *

_Thunk._

_Thunk._

_Thunk._

Shikamaru rolled over, finding that every muscle in his body seemed sore like he'd given two hundred percent in training against…maybe…Naruto. Yeah, that would feel about like this. He groaned. _Why the hell is this bed so hard?_

_Thunk thunk._

_Thunk._

He sat up wearily, determined to put an end to whatever was thunking and interrupting his much needed sleep. When he opened his eyes, though, he was startled to find himself not in his own bedroom. Instead, he was in the small extra room in the basement of the Jonin Headquarters, alone and lying on the bedroll from…

_Last night!_

He couldn't remember anything after he'd passed out, but…Kakashi had said that he wouldn't remember, right? But then why would he have offered in advance to erase the more intense parts? Maybe he already had? And where was he, anyway? Sakura's and Genma's card game lay scattered on the floor where they'd apparently left it, so where were they?

_Thunk._

Shikamaru brought his hand up to rub his forehead. As much as he wanted to roll back over and go back to sleep, he just couldn't shake the feeling that something had gone wrong. There's no way all three of them would just disappear without leaving a note or something, at least, and they definitely would have picked up the cards on their way out if they weren't in a hurry.

_Damn. I'm going to have to check it out._

He painfully pushed himself off the ground, pulling some jerky out of his emergency rations pocket as he made his way across the room, out the door, down the corridor and back up the stairs. What he saw when he got to the top of the stairway shocked him, and he paused in chewing the dried meat.

There was blood, and a lot of it. Two bodies he didn't recognize were draped over the front desk, and kunai, shiruken, and other weapons were embedded in walls, doorways, and various pieces of furniture. Suddenly he had a terrifying idea of what might have been thunking. There was a battle going on somewhere close, as the sound of weapons being embedded into the outside wall usually sounded suspiciously like a 'thunk'.

Shaking off the last of his tiredness and wishing he could do the same to the soreness in his muscles, he instantly went into stealth mode. As he moved swiftly and silently toward the front desk, he took inventory of the situation.

_Unknown number of attackers, probably took us completely by surprise. Objective unknown…identity…_He looked around for any hint or clue, but found nothing but blood and a single Konoha forehead protector._ Identity unclear. My chakra's at about 50 percent -damn I wish I could remember last night!- I need to find out what's going on._

He'd reached the desk by now, and he crept behind it for cover. He could now see the faces of the two shinobi slumped over the top of it, and he recognized them as the two that had come on duty the night before as he and Kakashi were just heading downstairs. He checked each of them for a pulse, and finding none, he swept his hand over their unseeing eyes to close them.

_Still warm. That means the attack probably came in the past few hours, and enemy ninja could very well still be around._

He snuck back over to the door, looking out carefully and taking stock. There were bodies scattered over the stairs and the street, both Konoha shinobi and enemies. The one enemy he could see clearly looked like a chuunin from the Land of Snow.

He could see fights still going on down the street. Several of the Jonin and chuunin –some he recognized and some he didn't –were fighting hard against the few remaining enemies, along with about twenty Narutos. The academy looked like it had been cut off from escape as part of the enemy's initial attack in order to force some of Konoha's ninja to defend it, thereby reducing the active general defenses. Terrified children were crowded in the yard, most of them crying but a few of the braver ones brandishing kunai from behind Sakura's legs and Kiba's older sister.

Shikamaru spotted Genma covering Sakura and the kids from above, and Ino and Kiba had taken up positions between the main fight down the street and the academy. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen, but he could hear another fight going on somewhere behind the Jonin building and guessed that Kakashi was probably over there, along with Gai, Tsunade, and whoever else was missing from this fight but not dead.

He stealthily made his way around the building, observing that the fight here seemed to be almost won and under control and the one over there sounded a lot more volatile.

He'd just rounded the corner enough to see a giant dust cloud rise into the air when he spotted Kurenai, Hinata, and Shino making a run for the trees. They were making decent speed, but Kurenai's pregnant condition was slowing them down. He was with them in an instant, running beside them.

"What's happening?"

Kurenai ducked behind a tree, and her two escorts did the same. She held her swollen belly for a second as she caught her breath.

"Snow shinobi attacked at dawn. Tsunade sent a messenger bird to Suna for backup, but they're not going to make it in time."

"What's their objective?"

"We don't know, but it seems like they want something from inside the library."

"The library?"

Hinata spoke up for the first time.

"I heard one of them mention the Scroll of the Second Hokage, where he wrote the secrets of an ice jutsu. But it's not in the library!"

"Where is it then?"

This time Shino spoke up.

"Hokage-sama asked me to hide it with my bugs. I instructed my bugs to hide it in the wood of her desk."

Shikamaru almost commented on Shino's curious hiding place, but decided against it. The kid was weird.

"Where are you going?"

Hinata answered.

"We're escorting Kurenai-sensei to a cave out here. She can't fight like this."

Shikamaru nodded approvingly.

"Good. What's the situation back there?"

Kurenai answered.

"Kakashi and Anko are fighting there, along with Tsunade-sama. ANBU is helping, but most of them have left to pursue fleeing Snow nin so it's just the ranked Shinobi. Gai is dead, and so is Raido and Shizune."

"What?"

"They fell in battle, in the first wave of the attack. Lee's been going crazy, fighting like there's no tomorrow, and Neji has taken a team to search the village for more enemies. You should go help the Hokage's fight. That's where the ring-leaders are, and they'll be causing the most trouble."

_I really want to make sure Kurenai gets out of harm's way, but…my duty is here and these two are more than capable. Not to mention, Kurenai's a jonin herself. As much as I want to go with them, I'm going to have to trust these two._

"Right. Hinata, Shino, make sure Kurenai is safe. Hinata, stay with her. Shino, come back and join this fight."

"Hai!" Hinata accepted the order, and Kurenai looked like she thought about objecting but didn't say anything. Shino just nodded, and Shikamaru left to join the fight.

He was just about to round the corner when he was stopped by a kunai at his throat.

"What the-"

The kunai pulled dangerously tighter, and Shikamaru shut up instantly and his hand started drifting toward his kunai pouch.

"We're going to have a little chat. I saw you talking to those three."

Shikamaru tensed, looking for his chance to break free and kill this enemy.

"Don't worry, I'm not ignoring them. They'll be back in good time, when things die down enough for my men to track them. Unless, of course, you cooperate."

Shikamaru forced his body to relax a little, but his mind was still racing. What did this person want, and who was he? Were Kurenai and her baby in danger? His heart was in his throat.

_Shino, please go against my orders and stay with them! Hinata, Kurenai, watch out!_

"We're going to go back into this building right here, and we're going to have a little chat." Shikamaru felt the tight arm holding his left arm let go, and he saw his chance. In a heartbeat he had his kunai drawn to fight this enemy, but he was shocked when he found himself abruptly disarmed and with a rather large gash up his arm. He also found himself pinned to the ground and unable to move.

"I thought you might try something like that. You just experienced my Bloodline Limit."

_Shit. What the hell…?_

The man sitting on his back chuckled darkly.

"I can use metal jutsu to attract your weapons. Isn't that nice? That means any metal weapons you try to use against me are going to do you more harm than good." As he spoke, Shikamaru felt his hands being tied with some type of twine.

"And you may recognize this. It's chakra-eating rope. If you try to use any jutsu, this rope will intercept it and you've wasted energy." He finally stood up from off of Shikamaru, who found himself having trouble moving at his normal speed due to the soreness still embedded in every muscle of his body and the chakra-eating restraints. His attacker brusquely hauled him to his feet, causing the genius to wince at the roughness. Soon enough he felt a kunai back at his throat and he was being led back into the Jonin Headquarters he'd just woken up in.

He couldn't help a rueful sigh.

_I guess it's a good thing I went through that training with Kakashi-sensei last night…here's hoping I can remember some of it._

* * *

The man deposited Shikamaru in a wooden chair. They were in a seemingly random office that had been ransacked and mostly cleared out, save for the furniture and a few papers strewn about. A wooden chair similar to the ones downstairs had been brought in, and this is what Shikamaru found himself sitting in.

For the first time, he got to take a look at his captor. The man was large, but not fat, and his long hair was light brown. His eyes were black and gritty, his mouth a little too large and menacing, and his nose looked like it had been broken a time or two. There was a tattoo across his cheek and forehead, and a scar ran lengthwise through it. There was another scar on the side of his neck, leading down to end somewhere under his trenchcoat.

As soon as the man had secured him to the chair with more of the energy-draining twine, he set about disarming him fully. The kunai pouch was removed from his thigh by the man's kunai slashing across the white wrappings holding it in place, and the man was none too gentle about it. Blood began to seep from Shikamaru's thigh in a vertical line as the white wrappings fell to the ground, along with the weapons holster. He winced.

Next was his hip pouch, which the man cut away by slicing his belt and pulling it out from behind him. Shikamaru watched where he put it on the desk, knowing that Asuma's chakra-blades were in there and he'd very much like to use them later.

Next went his vest and anything useful that might be in it, as the man shoved his kunai under the shoulder of it and yanked upward. He did the same thing on the other side, cutting all the way from the top of the armhole to the collar in one swift motion. Shikamaru noted that the weapon didn't actually touch his neck, though it did bite into each of his shoulders.

Once it was loose, the man cut down each side of the vest, and the front of it fell forward uselessly. Shikamaru was correct when he guessed his shirt would be next, as it wasn't uncommon for shinobi to carry hidden weapons under their clothes. The man's kunai started at his collar and pulled straight down, cutting both his shirt and his netted undershirt with a single motion and barely scraping the tip against his chest. That stung a little, but he'd had worse papercuts.

Finally, after he'd finished cutting Shikamaru's shirts away, the man seemed satisfied that the genius had been sufficiently disarmed.

"Now, let's see. Where to begin."

Shikamaru said nothing, and the man pulled up the cushy desk chair and took a seat facing him. The man toyed with a kunai as he smiled a little too pleasantly.

"Tell me a little about yourself. Name, rank, hobbies, interests, weaknesses, you know. The usual."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. _Seriously?_

The man leaned forward in his chair to rest his elbows on his knees.

"Come on now, don't be shy. What's your name?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Fuck you."

"Nice to meet you. Rank?"

He said nothing, and the man flicked his wrist. Shikamaru started at the sudden _thud_ that resounded through the room, and he looked down at the place the sound had come from. He did his best to keep the nauseous expression off his face, but his balls tightened –and not in the good way- when he saw the kunai embedded in the wooden chair just a couple of inches below his crotch.

_Shit._

"I asked you a question, son. What's your rank?"

Shikamaru's mind was racing. This guy seemed serious enough…but to show any weakness now would definitely hurt him when the man got around to asking the questions he was really interested in.

_This is it. This is where I find out if I've got what it takes…DAMN why can't I remember the training last night!?_

"Fuck. You."

The man grinned.

"You've got balls, kid. And since I'm a nice guy, I'll let you keep them for a while." He stood up. "But you are gonna tell me what I wanna know. We'll just have to find out what your weakness is, won't we?" The man towered over him for a moment, then reached down and grabbed the weapon from between Shikamaru's legs. He pulled it out with a flourish, causing the tip to graze high on the inside of the genius's thigh. Fortunately, it missed the femoral artery.

Only early morning, and already it was shaping up to be a hell of a day. Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed, resigned to face his fears.

_Shit._

* * *

So what do you think? Hopefully the next one won't be quite so long in coming, but I won't promise it this week because I have a pretty heavy class load this semester. Anyways, leave me a review! They inspire me. :)

* * *


	5. Chapter 6

Whew! This chapter was difficult, but it's finally here.

WARNING: MATURE READERS ONLY!! Seriously. This chapter is pretty violent, and more than a little gory. You've been warned. And oh yeah- there's a little foul language. ;)

Disclaimer reminder: I own nothing; see chapter one.

* * *

Shikamaru winced at the sudden punch that connected with his jaw. He had only just closed his eyes when the man startled him with it.

"Pay attention, boy! This is _not_ naptime."

_Well…damn._

He opened his eyes with disinterest to see the man's black eyes glaring down at him, looking completely relaxed but in total control.

"You don't look too old…I'm gonna guess you're…what, not even twenty yet?"

He said nothing, and his face stayed as blank as ever.

"I'm also gonna guess that you're a chuunin –stop me if I'm wrong- because genin can't give orders like I saw you doing. And you're too young to be a jonin."

"Maybe I'm ANBU."

The man's laugh was deceptively hearty.

"Nice one, kid. Tell me another."

Shikamaru shrugged as much as the wrist-biting rope would allow and glanced casually around the office. Nothing really interesting to look at, but then again, anything would be better than looking at this guy.

The man sat back down in his comfy chair, sighing resignedly. He crossed his left ankle over his right knee.

"Look kid. I'm trying to make this as easy as possible on you. Tell me what I want to know, and you're free to run back home to your mamma."

The lazy genius rolled his eyes.

_She'd probably send me on another lame errand on my way back to the battle._

"No? Well, then maybe you'd like to run after that pretty pregnant brunette…" he said it with a sneer in his voice. "I can't imagine that's your kid, being so damn young, but hey, who knows? You seemed awfully interested in her when I saw the three of you talking."

He could feel the man studying him carefully for a reaction. Shikamaru kept his poker face firmly in place, determined not to reveal that Kurenai and her baby were pretty damn high on the list of people he'd die to protect. He hoped the man couldn't hear his heart rate speed up.

"Or maybe that other little girl's the one you're more interested in protecting. She looked about your age…" He stroked his scarred chin. "I see why you'd want to make sure she got away. Those big tits would get her some real _attention_ after the battle if she stayed here." The scarred tattoo on his face twisted into a meaningfully lewd grin.

_You have no idea who you're talking about. Hinata may be shy, but she can take care of herself._

"…no?"

Shikamaru maintained his bored silence. The man sighed dramatically.

"I guess you're determined to do this the hard way, aren't you?"

More silence answered the man.

"Well, kid, have it your way." The man sunk his fist into Shikamaru's unprotected stomach, and he felt all the air rush painfully out of his body and refuse to come back in.

"Tell me what those three told you."

Shikamaru struggled to catch his breath as he strained against the rope. It'd been a while since he'd taken a hit that hard and that sudden, and it hurt like hell! He fought to make his body accept oxygen again, giving the man a stony scowl.

The man cracked his knuckles slowly and deliberately, and a smirk edged its way onto his scarred face.

"I know that bitch of a hokage gave the scroll to that creepy kid in the white jacket, and I also know it wasn't on him when you talked to him. Where did he hide it?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, now you talk." The man backhanded him across the face. Hard. For a couple of seconds, the room rocked a little like a boat. "Don't lie to me, boy! You're wasting my time!"

Shikamaru pretended to still be feeling woozy from the punch.

_I could stay silent, or I could keep pretending not to know. I could give him _wrong_ information…this early in the game, though, he'd know instantly that I was lying if he's any good at all. _

He kept his eyes squeezed shut as he answered and it was only partially an act. His head was pounding, even if he wasn't about to pass out. He grit his teeth against the pain.

"I don't. Know."

Another punch, this time in his ribs. Something cracked, and Shikamaru couldn't stop the grunt that escaped from his throat. _Dammit!_

"If you don't tell me, then one of them will. It's only a matter of time before my men catch up to them and haul their asses back here." The interrogator's voice took on a mockingly sympathetic tone. "Don't you want to spare them some pain and heartache?"

Shikamaru tried to take as deep of a breath as he could before the sharp pain of his broken rib –or ribs?- prevented his chest from expanding any further. He only glared in response to the man's prodding.

"Women break easier, you know."

Shikamaru was still processing the threat when the next punch connected with his ribs, this time on the other side. It definitely cracked at least two ribs. Shikamaru struggled to breathe and calm his racing heart rate.

"Tell me where I can find that scroll."

"I…don't…know."

"Bullshit."

An uppercut this time. The edges of his vision blurred.

_Shit, this is bad! It hurts so much…but no amount of pain is going to make me tell him the scroll is in the hokage's desk…_

A piece of last night's training came rushing back to him.

'Try to pass out if you can. Otherwise start thinking clinically.'

_Right. Don't fight the blackness…unfortunately, he's going to have to hit me harder if that's going to work, and he seems too smart to let me pass out._

"Tell me where the scroll is."

The next blow landed just above his belt, and he found himself too busy trying not to throw up to think about passing out or distancing himself, and when the nausea passed, he was trying not to breathe any harder than his damaged ribs would allow.

"…fuck…you…"

Silence reigned for almost a full minute, save for the sound of flesh connecting solidly with flesh and the occasional grunt or choked groan.

"This isn't working, is it?"

_Ah, shit._ Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he wasn't sure if it was from the outside of his body or if he'd coughed it up.

"You seem to have a pretty high tolerance for pain." He tapped his chin thoughtfully, and Shikamaru focused on trying to quiet the pain that was screaming through his entire body. "I know." The man's black eyes took on an excited glint. "Maybe it's just for the blunt kind of pain. Shall we find out?"

'_Oh yes, let's do!'_ Shikamaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead opting to mentally separate himself from the incredible amount of pain he figured was going to be piled on top of his already miserable condition. Kakashi hadn't said how to get _into_ that frame of mind…well, no time like the present, right? He knew closing his eyes would just unnecessarily piss off the man, so he found a knot in the wooden bookcase across the room to lock his gaze on.

_In order…let's see. Soreness…damn. Don't know enough about how muscles work, or even why the hell I'm so freaking sore! On to the next cut…_

Shikamaru's focus shifted to the wound on his thigh while his eyes stayed fixed on the bookshelf. He pictured his thigh as it would normally appear in the mirror, covered by his standard-issue black shinobi pants. Then he pictured a slit running lengthwise down the front of the right thigh, and the wound and the material both covered in dark red liquid. Under the red liquid, there was the skin and underlying flesh, symmetrical on either side. The long muscle cells of his quad muscle would be mostly intact, cut only through the translucent white fascia and maybe a couple of the cells at a slight angle.

He decided to skip the cuts on the top of both shoulders, along his arms and down the center of his chest where his shirts had been cut off.

Metal clinked against metal. Shikamaru ignored the sound.

He pictured how his ribs must look. Probably not too discolored yet, but maybe a little swollen around the breaks. On the inside, between the tough muscle and stiff cartilage that connect ribs to each other, there would be smooth curving rib with a bleeding crack running vertically across the horizontal bone. There might be more than one on that side, and on the other side, there were definitely two at least, and they might have more than just a bleeding line.

The interrogator, determined to interrupt his thoughts, slashed a long, shallow cut across the exposed expanse of Shikamaru's abdomen. He winced and held his gaze on the bookcase knothole across the room.

_Those two broken ribs feel looser than the other side. The jagged edges of the bone will be grinding together, where it was attached a moment ago…_

"Tell me where to find the scroll."

_Do ribs have marrow? If they do, then it's probably getting rubbed onto the ends created by the breaks…_

This time the man's blade bit its way slowly and shallowly down the length of his arm in a zigzag pattern. Shikamaru grit his teeth and fought to keep his body from letting any sounds escape.

_If they don't have marrow, then it'll be blood pooling around the breaks…and the nerves…ah fuck, the _nerves_…those are going to be getting caught in between the grinding ends…that's why it hurts so _fucking_ bad…and so damn sharp…_Shikamaru's eyebrows involuntarily scrunched closer together against the pick-axe in his chest. He was panting pretty hard, which wasn't helping his hurt ribs.

On the other arm, the man traced the same pattern with whatever blade he was using. The warm blood seeping from his stomach wound was starting to trickle down his skin.

_That's not deep. That's the reason it's taking so long to cover me in blood…will it scar? And do I give a damn? No. Clinical. He only slashed the skin. The bigger blood vessels run through muscle. _

"Tell me what I want to know, boy!"

_Same on my arms. Vessels run deep; nerves run shallow. That's why papercuts hurt so much, and why an interrogator can cause ridiculous amounts of pain without the risk of the…without the risk of me bleeding to death._

Shikamaru's ponytail jerked his head back, and he found the man invading his line of sight and holding his hair. There was a dangerous glint in his eye.

He definitely knew what he was doing.

"Who are you trying to protect, brat?"

It was a good question.

He hadn't really thought about it; the only clear thing was that the scroll did not belong in enemy hands, presumably because they would then be able to do ridiculous amounts of damage using the ice jutsu it reportedly contained. The Hokage herself was fighting hard to protect it, and the enemy had taken great risks in attacking the Hidden Village of the Leaf directly in order to obtain it. Therefore, it must be of immense importance that the enemy should go home empty-handed.

Shikamaru finally broke his disinterested expression in favor of a more defiant one, but still he said nothing.

The man's hand moved behind his back, and the sound of a weapon being sheathed whispered through the room. When the man brought his hand back into Shikamaru's line of vision, there were several slips of rectangular paper in it. A particularly gruesome grin spread across the interrogator's face and a shudder worked its way down the lazy chuunin's spine. It settled in his stomach, and a dryness settled in his mouth despite all the blood he could taste.

_Oh…shit._

He fought to keep his expression defiant.

"You know what these are. I can see it in your eyes."

"Fuck off." It didn't come out nearly as assertive as he meant for it to. Something about incredible pain always drained Shikamaru of what little vehemence he had, and he was slowly resigning himself to the fact that this man would probably end up torturing him to death if he didn't tell him what he wanted to know. Unfortunately, it was still too soon to give him false information.

"Where would you like the first one?"

There had been a chapter regarding these tags during the last year at the academy, but it had only been a quick glossing-over of the topic. These were Torture Tags.

Each tag had an elaborate jutsu written on it, and in the middle there was a circle. All those years ago, Iruka-sensei had forced a light smile as he told the class that the circle was for the victim's blood. He hadn't told the class what they did; only that they were very unpleasant and to avoid them.

There was no avoiding them today.

The interrogator seemed to reach a decision. He pulled a paintbrush from one of his many hidden pockets and swished it lightly through the trail of blood on Shikamaru's abdomen, making him flinch in surprise. With painstaking care, he then set one of the tags down on the desk and painted the blood into the center of the written jutsu.

After a few seconds, he held his artwork up so that Shikamaru could see. He'd painted the blood in the familiar swirl of the Konoha symbol.

"Did I get it right?"

Shikamaru still didn't answer, but something about the man's depravity tied his stomach in a tighter knot. The man crossed the small space between the desk and the chair to slap the tag onto the back of Shikamaru's shoulder.

_Why doesn't it hurt yet?_

"Tell me what I want to know."

"Fuck you."

The man formed a seal and planted it on the tag, and almost instantly the younger ninja was seeing stars. He couldn't bite back the scream that tore itself from his throat as every single nerve in that particular muscle tied itself in tiny little knots and stretched and writhed and kinked, causing Shikamaru some of the most intense physical agony he'd ever experienced. A kunai through the bicep was a slap on the wrist compared to this.

He was vaguely aware of a presence beside his ear, telling him that the pain would stop if he would just give up the scroll. He ignored it.

He felt another tag being slapped onto his back, this time under his shoulder blade. He felt his screams get louder more than he heard them, and there was nothing he could do to hold them back. The first tag didn't stop its torment, and the second one matched them.

With what little coherent thought he could summon, he searched for something completely benign to think about. Not Kurenai, not the scroll, not the battle or the dead ninja already littering the streets of Konoha. No.

Koi. The koi pond he wanted to build. Someday, when he moved out of his parents' house, he would get an apartment and put a koi pond on the balcony.

A third tag joined the first two, and this one was on the opposite shoulder from the first one. He could feel tears stinging his eyes, and he no longer gave a damn about trying to stop his screams.

Koi. And clouds. Clouds shaped like koi.

After he'd lost all sense of time, he was vaguely aware that the first tag had stopped causing him so much pain.

_Then, the others…_

"Tell me where the scroll is!"

"Fuck you!" Shikamaru didn't care that his voice was ragged from the abuse and intensity of the screams. He was well beyond feigning indifference now, and he didn't give a rat's ass who heard his voice crack under the strain of more volume.

The second tag's agony was starting to fade, leaving an acute ripping sensation in its wake to match the first but nowhere near the intensity of the still-active third tag.

The man attached one more tag, this time on the right side of his chest. His pectoral muscle screamed in terror and agony at him, but he focused on the pain itself to keep from thinking about anything else.

Finally, after what seemed like years but was really only about six minutes, the fourth tag also died. Shikamaru sat panting hard, not caring that his face was wet with tears and his lip was bleeding heavily from where he must have bitten it.

There was a sickeningly cheery smile on the interrogator's face.

"Agony is a good look on you, kid. I like it." He paused, tilting his head slightly to the side and crossing his arms. "Ready to talk yet?"

If glares could kill, the interrogator would have turned to ash in about one tenth of a second. Shikamaru sucked up the metallic-tasting red syrup gathering in his mouth and spit it out on the floor. He didn't break eye contact with the interrogator, and he couldn't tell that expelling the blood had made any difference in the quantity still in his mouth, but at least it made him feel a little better.

The interrogator seemed unfazed by his defiant attitude and just stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Well sweetheart, you might break if we did that long enough, but…I'm in a bit of a hurry. We'll try something a little more…_permanent._" He grinned, and Shikamaru didn't even bother to wonder what might be next. He really didn't want to find out.

The man reached behind him to retrieve the weapon he'd been using earlier, and Shikamaru's eyes widened against his will when he saw one of Asuma's chakra blades in the man's hand.

"That's right, I'm using your own weapons." He held it up and inspected it with nonchalance. "Unusual piece, but elegant. I like it." He flicked his gaze from the blade in his hand to Shikamaru's face. "Sentimental value, right?"

Shikamaru didn't answer, and the man laughed.

"Whatever, kid. Go on and pretend that I can't read you like a book, if that's what makes you feel better."

He walked over to stand in front of Shikamaru, weapon in hand. He reached his free hand back around to grab the lazy genius's pony tail, yanking his head back.

"You strike me as the listening type." The tip of the blade dragged from his collarbone up to his chin, and Shikamaru regretted sharpening it to such a perfect point. "I think your ears will be first."

The next thing he knew, there was a searing bite into his earlobe. He strained against the ropes and grit his teeth against the scream in his throat, but he only succeeded in muffling it a little. He could feel something warm and sticky –_blood-_ flowing down the side of his neck.

The man held up the bloody chunk of flesh he'd just cut for Shikamaru to see. His small black hoop earring was still in it, and he clenched his eyes tightly shut.

That may have been a mistake, he realized a second later when he felt the same bite cut into the top of the same ear. A moment later, a triangle of skin-covered cartilage joined the chunk of earlobe in the man's hand.

"That doesn't grow back, you know." The man's voice was light and conversational.

_When I get out of here, you're going to die._

"You seem like an understanding kind of guy. I've been wanting to make an artistic tribute to all my informants –I think you'd like it. It's going to be a very realistic piece, made from pieces of them." He held up the two chunks of Shikamaru's ear. "After these, I'm only missing one thing…well, actually, two."

_Oh shit._ His knees tried to draw toward each other, but the ropes prevented it. The man laughed heartily.

"Nice guess, kid, but I doubt you're old enough to have a set of those even if I had been talking about that." He leaned down to speak in a lower voice. "What makes you think I'd want your balls, Beautiful? Now, your tight little ass, on the other hand…if you keep me here much longer, I'm going to need to relieve some stress."

Shikamaru's eyes widened in realization and his heart dropped almost to the floor, it felt like. _Fuuuuck. _That's_ what Kakashi-sensei was talking about…the sub-category of pride…he wasn't just talking about castration…he was talking about…rape._

He tried his best to keep the fear out of his eyes and his breathing normal. Which was damn hard considering all the pain he was still feeling.

"Actually, kid, the two things my collection is missing are eyebrows."

Shikamaru felt the edge of the chakra blade against his temple and swallowed. He briefly wondered how badly it would sting to get blood in his eyes, but he tried not to show any weakness.

"Tell me what I want to know."

"Fuck. You."

The blade had just bitten into his skin when the door opened, and in the next instant the chakra blade was reverberating in the wood of the doorframe, only inches from a foreign chuunin's head.

"What!" The interrogator shouted, extremely displeased to be interrupted. Shikamaru opened his eyes to find the interrupter's eyes locked on him, and his young innocent face registering shock. He recovered quickly and bowed deeply, answering in the too-fast voice of a nervous underling.

"Sorry sir, but we've captured the ones you sent us after."

The interrogator's rage melted from his face to be replaced by a large grin. Shikamaru fought the urge to vomit. As much as it hurt him to admit it, he'd rather take the rape himself than see any of them abused –especially the two kunoichi.

"Good job. Bring in the girl and the freak."

"H-Hai." Then the boy was gone.

The interrogator turned back to Shikamaru, grin still firmly in place.

"Now we get to see how strong your friends are, or if they're as stubborn as you. Unless you want to spare them…tell me where they hid the scroll."

For a couple of seconds, Shikamaru considered it. He didn't want to see Hinata or Shino in the kind of pain he'd already experienced, and Kurenai and her baby…

_No. He may be bluffing. And if he's not, then…maybe when they get in here we can find a way to escape. And kami only knows how many lives are on the line if he gets his hands on that scroll…Why can't I remember the fucking training from last night?!_

"I. Don't. Know."

The man punched him again in the stomach and more blood spattered from his mouth to stain his pants when he strained forward against the ropes.

* * *

Anyways...so...yeah. The next chapter is going to continue the interrogation, but I needed a short break so I'm cutting the scene here. To be frank, this chapter made me question my sanity a little, but I guess that's part of being a good writer, huh? Look at Poe. (kidding, btw, about the Poe thing. He creeps me out.)

So...tell me what you think?


	6. Chapter 7

This installment is pathetically short and I know it. Sorry. I figured I'd go on and get what I had up, since it's been soooo long, and then i can skip the part that's giving me so much trouble for the moment and get on with the story. :)

Dislcaimer reminders: See chapter 1.

* * *

"Ah, wonderful!" The interrogator beamed as his subordinates led a tar-covered Shino and a frightened Hinata into the room.

Shikamaru noticed his friends' eyes wander over his abused body, and he nodded a resigned greeting to them as the enemy shinobi tied them to additional chairs, side by side and positioned between Shikamaru and the desk, facing him.

"Shikamaru…" Hinata sounded like she might be about to cry, and the genius met her eyes with as much determination as he could muster. She swallowed.

Shino turned his head stiffly toward his teammate. "Hinata. Be strong. We will get through this."

"H-hai!"

The door clicked shut behind the guards as they exited the make-shift interrogation room, and the interrogator turned to face his three subjects with a menacing grin.

"Now, where were we? Shikamaru, was it?"

"Fuck you."

The man clicked his tongue. "Shame on you, Shika –I can call you Shika, right?" Shikamaru glared at him, and the man placed his hands on Hinata's shoulders from behind. "Foul language in front of a lady? That's just not proper."

He lifted one of his hands and walked around so that he was facing Hinata with one hand still on her shoulder. "My dear, won't you be kind enough to tell me what your friend here did with the scroll?"

She didn't say anything, and the man sighed. "I'm afraid your friend Shika hasn't been very helpful either, and you can see what it's cost him so far." He lifted his hand to stroke her cheek, and her pale eyes flashed in anger. "I'd hate to have to put something as pretty as you through that kind of pain. I'll ask again." He roughly cupped her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Where is the scroll?"

"I-I'm not going to tell you anything!"

Shikamaru nodded once. "Good girl."

Instantly the man spun around, landing the back of his fist on Shikamaru's jaw in the process. Hinata gasped loudly, and the man gave Shikamaru a couple more punches before turning disdainfully away from him to face Shino.

"And what about you? You gonna tell me what I want to know?"

Shino didn't move a muscle. The man planted his fist in the bug-user's stomach, only to witness the bug-user disintegrate with a whisper of 'stay strong'. All eyes went wide, then the interrogator laughed heartily.

"Damn bug suicides. Oh well. I still have you two."

By now, tears were streaming down Hinata's face. Shikamaru's body was screaming at him, but his rage was even more overpowering in his mind. He struggled against the ropes, shouting curses at the interrogator.

After confirming what he already knew, that there was no escape from the chakra-eating ropes, Shikamaru finally stilled. When he did, he noticed a chakra blade at Hinata's throat.

"You won't kill her. Then we'd be right back where we started."

"Smart kid. But you know I can hurt her."

"Shikamaru!" Hinata shouted at him through her tears. "Don't tell him anything!" The man hit her across the face, hard. Her head turned with the impact and her eyes squeezed shut against the pain. "No matter what," she added in a tearful whisper.

"My men search you, brat?"

She didn't answer, and he jerked her chair around to face him.

"Answer the question!"

She still said nothing, and the man relaxed.

"Alright. Then I'm going to assume they didn't."

_Oh…shit_, Shikamaru thought.

The interrogator spun the chakra blade around his index finger with a devious and dangerous glint in his eyes.

* * *

So...I'll try to have the next part up a lot faster than I got this part up. Lemme know what you think of this little snippet?


	7. In Which the Scene Finally Ends

I return to the land of the living! With a real chapter! Dude!

And thank you soooo much to everyone who reviewed chapters 6 and 7! Your feed back means a lot, and I really love checking my inbox and seeing 'review alert'! Muchas Gracias!

Ok, so I'm really really really sorry I took sooooooo long to get this (and the last little pathetic excuse for a chapter) done. This one is a little short compared to most of the others, but it's a respectable 3000 words, anyway. I wanted to combine the last chapter and this one, but that would have been too much of a headache to deal with tonight.

And so...without further ado...the End of Shikamaru's Interrogation! Not the end of this story, by any means, but it's time to move on to different stuff. :)

Disclaimer reminder: See Chapter One

* * *

The interrogator's underling brought in a bound and gagged Kurenai, and Shikamaru felt his stomach twist hard. He'd tried giving the wrong information earlier, and the interrogator had sent someone to check. When that person didn't come back within a half hour, the man had killed Hinata.

Now, there was only Kurenai and her baby left to be used against him. The man had figured out that Shikamaru's weakness wouldn't be in direct personal harm, but rather in those whom the genius cared about. And now he was making the most of that knowledge as he stood towering over Shikamaru with a self-assured expression on his scarred face.

"Tell me where the scroll is, boy, or she'll get the same treatment as that other freaky-eyed bitch."

_Shit. Motherfuckin…!_ Shikamaru's mind raced to find something –anything- to get Kurenai out of the room. His body was completely drained of all his strength by this time, and it hurt like hell to even think. His mouth was dry except for the blood he could taste from his own injuries, and he'd tried everything from attempting to use a jutsu to passing out to lying to suicide, but the interrogator was way too experienced and would have none of it.

Shikamaru stared desperately at Kurenai with empty eyes. He was completely out of options.

Unless he gave up the information. Where was the scroll again? _Right. In the hokage's desk._ But giving up that information would undoubtedly cost…a whole hell of a lot of lives, possibly hundreds. Maybe even thousands. But Kurenai…he'd made a promise to Asuma. He'd be breaking a vow either way.

_Fuck! Do I give up Kurenai and her baby –Asuma's baby, the last living part of him- to save kami-knows-how-many people I've never even seen? Or can I save the two people at the top of my list, and hope the scroll turns out to be useless? What did Kakashi say –sometimes you have to give them up? I CAN'T, dammit! But I can't give up the scroll, either…_ Something wet rolled down Shikamaru's bruised cheek. He couldn't tell if it was warm or cool, but considering he had to be severely dehydrated by now, he figured it was more likely to be blood than a tear.

The interrogator strode over to take Kurenai from the guard. Shikamaru saw the guard leave the room, and the interrogator held Asuma's chakra blade to Kurenai's throat. She blinked and raised her pretty red eyes to stare at the wall above Shikamaru's head to avoid meeting his gaze.

When the interrogator interrupted his thoughts, it was in a low, steady, chilling voice.

"Boy, you may be willing to die for your country." Shikamaru's eyes shifted slowly from Kurenai's face to meet the Interrogator's deadly gaze. "But is _she_?"

Kurenai closed her eyes, keeping her face expressionless as stone. Shikamaru's eyes widened.

_She won't ask me for anything. She _knows_ what's at stake, and she can't decide between countless strangers and her baby any more than I can. Fuuuck._

Shikamaru tried to swallow. "She…she's a kunoichi," he choked out.

The interrogator moved the tip of the blade slowly and meaningfully down to Kurenai's swollen abdomen. Kurenai tried not to gasp, but Shikamaru saw. Her eyes stayed closed.

"And what about this baby? Is _he_ willing to die because _you_ wouldn't give up a little piece of paper?"

This was it. _If I'm going to break, it's going to be now. _Can _I sacrifice…for…?_

No answer surfaced in his mind, and the silence in the room stretched. Nothing moved, Shikamaru stared blankly at the blade, and Kurenai didn't dare to breathe. Shikamaru could feel the man's eyes almost boring a hole through his skull. Was the scroll worth the life of Asuma's only child, and probably Kurenai's life as well?

The silence stretched into what seemed like hours, until the tension in the room was palpable and deafening. Finally, the man raised the blade above his head and brought it hurtling back toward the unborn baby.

"STOP!" Shikamaru felt himself shout before it even went through his mind, and when the blade stopped mere inches from Kurenai's stomach, he felt his body slump.

"Where is the scroll?"

Shikamaru tried to swallow, but his mouth was too dry despite all the blood. He stared at the floor, but then closed his eyes when the floor seemed to sneer at him.

"It…it's in…the scroll is inside the wood…of the hokage's desk," he whispered. Hot, bitter tears he thought he'd run out of stung his eyes.

The interrogator laughed, and Kurenai started to weep. Shikamaru forced himself to look up at her face, and the pain he saw there at betraying Konoha drove through his heart like an icicle.

"You've been most helpful, Shika." The man laughed, then sliced Kurenai's throat.

"_KURENAI!!!_" Shikamaru skinned his hands ripping them free from the chakra-rope that bound him, pure adrenaline rushing through his much-abused and tortured body in defeated rage. The rope that tied his ankles to the chair legs forced the wooden chair to break as he lunged to catch Kurenai's falling body.

He barely registered the shocked expression on the interrogator's face, but he was all too aware of Kurenai's blood spurting from her throat and coating her red and white dress.

* * *

Genma glanced up from the cards in his hand at the genius sitting against the wall and the copy nin screwing with said genius's head. There was pain written on Shikamaru's face, and desperation. He hadn't made any sounds in the past several minutes, but Genma knew it was likely that Kakashi was just keeping it all inside Shikamaru's mind.

He suppressed a shudder and looked back at his cards. He selected one and placed it face up on the ground. _I know he know's what he's doing, but I still wouldn't want him inside my head again, training or not._

Sakura chose a card from her hand to put on the ground, and then Kakashi raised his arm and snapped to get their attention. Something was about to happen.

Genma watched as Shikamaru's expression changed rapidly from desperation, to panic, to defeat and then rage.

_That's a little disconcerting. I never pegged him for the 'rage' type…_

"_KURENAI!!!_"

Kakashi stood and stepped unsteadily backwards just as Shikamaru lunged forward, and instantly Genma was between them with his hands bunched up in Shikamaru's collar. He slammed the younger man against the wall, hard.

"Shikamaru!"

He didn't respond except to struggle harder at whatever image he was still seeing, so Genma spit his senbon out in the dirt and slammed him into the wall again, this time throwing his shoulder into Shikamaru's chest to overpower him without hurting him. Shikamaru punched him in the ribs, but he was too weak by now to make it hurt. Much.

"Shikamaru, snap out of it!"

Kakashi would have ended the genjutsu by now, though Genma had no intention of turning to find out for sure, so anything Shikamaru was still seeing was the result of deep immersion and dulled senses. He seemed to be realizing that something had changed, though, because the chunin slowed down in his struggles. Genma didn't let up any pressure, just to be safe.

"Shikamaru?" Sakura spoke up from somewhere to his right, and Shikamaru finally stilled. He was panting hard and his eyes were still glazed, but he was safely out of Kakashi's illusion, so Genma released some of the pressure he'd been using. His fists stayed where they were.

* * *

"_KURENAI!!!"_

Shikamaru felt his body being slammed against a cold, hard wall. There were fists grabbing his collar, and someone was leaning against him with all their weight to keep him there.

"Shikamaru!"

He struggled even harder, and whoever was holding him back slammed him against the wall again and doubled their pressure. Shikamaru punched whoever it was in the side, but it didn't accomplish anything.

"Snap out of it! Shikamaru!"

He screwed his eyes shut and opened them again, and he blinked several times. He was panting hard, and his ribs and his head and his hands and his whole body still hurt like hell, but…_ This isn't the interrogation room_.

Kakashi was standing several feet back, also breathing a little harder than normal. Shikamaru looked to see who was restraining him, and he saw a dark blue bandanna with shoulder-length brown hair. His face was turned the other direction, and his shoulder was crushing Shikamaru against the wall.

"Shikamaru?"

His eyes snapped over to see Sakura standing a couple of feet to the left of Genma. The weight on his chest lifted, and Shikamaru saw Genma looking at him calculatingly. He glanced around the room again and took a couple of deep breaths, somewhat surprised to find that it didn't hurt quite as badly to breathe anymore.

"Where's Kurenai?"

"She's fine," Kakashi answered. He was tugging his forehead protector back into its normal position.

"Where!?"

This time Sakura answered with confusion written on her face. "At home, I'd guess. It was a genjustu, Shikamaru. Kurenai's fine."

_Genjutsu._ Shikamaru nodded slowly, then looked at Genma to let him know he wasn't going to do anything rash. Genma slowly released the pressure, and Shikamaru slid back down the wall as he did. Once he was sitting on the bedroll again, Genma let go of his vest and stepped back. Sakura quickly stepped forward and started checking his vitals, while the senbon user went to the water cooler in the corner and filled a cup for Shikamaru. Kakashi stayed where he was.

"Hinata?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, it's me, Sakura." She touched his forehead lightly, concerned. Kakashi chuckled humorlessly.

"Hinata's fine too."

Shikamaru nodded numbly and tipped his head back against the wall with a soft thunk, and Sakura's eyes widened in realization. She said nothing as she unzipped his vest and placed her hand over his heart, checking blood pressure and chakra levels.

Genma came back over with a cup half-filled with water and held it down to Shikamaru, who lifted his hand to accept it. He paused when his hand was halfway to the cup and looked at his hand. It was trembling from the sudden adrenaline rush seconds ago.

"I could've sworn…" he muttered, turning his hand over as he looked at it. He shakily opened and closed his fist a couple of times, then accepted the cup with a nod of thanks. He took a couple of sips, then put it down.

"...and Shino?"

"Still out training with his father, last I heard," Sakura told him gently. "Your heart's racing. How do you feel?"

Shikamaru closed his eyes. "Fuck, I hurt," he breathed. "All over."

"Sakura, check him for broken ribs. Anything else will just be minor pulls and cramps."

Sakura glanced at her sensei in surprise, but her hands went to explore Shikamaru's ribs just the same. "Is that…common?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Not common, but not rare either. Illusions feel so real that the body strains itself, and that causes injuries. Ribs are the only bones I've seen broken that way."

Sakura nodded, and for a few moments, nobody said anything. Shikamaru sat staring at the ceiling as Sakura finished checking him for injuries.

"One cracked rib, but it's not too serious. Let's get your vest off."

He obeyed her like a meek child, not really paying attention as she helped him lean forward to pull it off his shoulders. He wasn't really thinking about anything; he was still coming to terms with the fact that none of it had been real.

"It was all an illusion?"

Kakashi nodded, but Shikamaru wasn't looking. Genma answered out loud. "Yeah. You remember why?"

Shikamaru blanked for a moment. He recognized the room, and he could feel something tugging at his memory. He backtracked everything that had happened.

The illusion must have started before he was in the room with the interrogator. Before that, he'd been captured, and before that he'd talked with Shino, Hinata, and Kurenai. Before that he'd come out of the jonin headquarters, after waking up…

In this room.

Okay, so…the night before…what had he done the night before?

_Training. Interrogation training. _

Of course. So that _was_ the training.

He nodded slowly. "Training. The Sharingan."

He glanced down to see that Sakura's hand was glowing green over his ribs, and he realized she was healing the crack she'd mentioned a couple of moments ago.

"So…how'd you do?" Genma asked quietly.

Shikamaru looked back up at the ceiling.

"I broke," he whispered. He closed his eyes, and a silent tear slid down his cheek.

Kakashi spoke up from where he was now sitting on the floor in the center of the room. "That was the point. And you were _damn _hard to break."

"Doesn't matter. I still betrayed…" he didn't finish the statement; he just took a deep breath and let it back out slowly. He tried not to picture Kurenai or Asuma.

Genma looked down at him with sympathy in his chocolate eyes. He knew Shikamaru had to be feeling pretty rotten about himself right now, not to mention still in a lot of pain. Sleep tonight would be difficult for the genius.

The air in the room was getting a little heavy. Terrifying and disturbing images were still running through Shikamaru's mind every time he closed his eyes, and even if they were to ever stop, it was unlikely that his body would let him rest comfortably.

"What time is it?"

Genma glanced at his watch. "Ten thirty."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, and Kakashi raised his eyebrow.

"Did it seem longer than five hours or shorter?"

"Both."

"Hn."

"They're really all fine?"

"Yeah."

"…and there was no attack."

"Right."

Silence stretched for several more minutes, and then Genma spoke again.

"Sakura, how's he doing?"

She kept her hand glowing over his cracked rib as she answered.

"He's finally calming down a little. His heart rate's slowing down, and he's relaxing a little. He may have fallen asleep from exhaustion…"

"I'm not asleep."

Sakura smiled sadly to herself. "Oh. Well, I'm almost done healing your rib. You probably feel like you're almost completely out of chakra, but you're actually at about 90%. The genjutsu suppressed your chakra system, and it'll probably take you till morning to recover from that."

Shikamaru made a small sound of acknowledgment, and then the room lapsed back into silence for several seconds.

"There, good as new." She glanced down at his hands, then took hold of one of his wrists and lifted it. She pushed his sleeve up in the process to reveal the reddish line trailing up the top of his arm. She touched the mark lightly, then passed a glowing hand over his arm and it disappeared. Sakura frowned.

"I don't know what kind of pain your body was reacting to or how many of these marks you have, but it's just that. A reaction to pain. These marks will be gone in a few hours."

"So what now?" Shikamaru's question was clearly directed at Kakashi, even though his eyes were closed.

"Now…we both rest. Tomorrow or the next day we'll go over any questions you have, but right now I'm about as drained as you are."

"Serves you right."

A smirk played at the corner of Genma's mouth. Kakashi chuckled softly.

"One question. Why?"

"…why what?"

"Why…at the end…_after _I broke?" _Why did Kurenai still die?_

Kakashi took a deep breath.

"Because that's how it works. When there's no further use for a hostage…they usually die."

Shikamaru frowned.

"But there would have been a use. I could've-"

Kakashi cut him off. "No. You couldn't have lied again, and some interrogators really are that cruel. Once they know you're broken, they'll keep twisting you just for the hell of it. Remember that."

Shikamaru opened his eyes and fixed them on Kakashi. Nobody said anything for a few seconds, then Shikamaru looked away and reached for his hip pouch.

He first checked for Asuma's chakra blades, and he felt a little easier when his fingertips brushed against the cool metal. He left them where they were and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, glancing at each person in the room to see if they objected. No one did, so he shook one out of the pack and lit it.

He took a long, deep drag and held it, then let it out.

"Shikamaru?"

He glanced up at Sakura, who was now just kneeling beside him. Genma had gone back to sit down, and Kakashi had moved to lean against the opposite wall.

"Hm?" He took another long drag.

"Why did you agree to this training?" she asked softly.

He sighed. Of course she wouldn't understand. "How much did you hear?"

"That Kakashi-sensei was…when he said...he would_ break_ you."

Shikamaru nodded.

Genma's gaze darted over to Sakura for a moment as he shuffled the cards, wondering what the genius would tell the medic. He didn't say anything, because if it was up to him, she would have to go through some form of similar training –although he'd never suggest inflicting the intensity of the Sharingan on anyone who didn't specifically volunteer.

"Because I needed to."

Sakura nodded. The confusion in her green eyes was unresolved, but she seemed to be willing to let that question drop. Shikamaru took another puff on his cigarette, and then he stubbed it out.

"Are you okay?"

He sighed again and closed his eyes.

_Physically?_ His body seemed to have settled into an intense but uniform ache, and he couldn't feel the chakra Sakura said was still there. He'd probably be back to normal in two or three days, physically.

Mentally, though…mentally, he'd just been fucked six ways from Sunday. He closed his eyes again.

"Ask me in the morning."

* * *

Next time: The next day. I think. And don't think I've forgotten about Ino's training...or about the ambush and attack plans that got our favorite genius chuunin _into_ this mess to begin with...hehe. :D I'll make every effort to get the next chapter done in a more timely manner, but keep in mind that I have finals coming up the week after next.

Pretty please leave me a review? Pleeeaaaaase? It'll help speed the creative processes!


	8. Chapter 9

EDIT: I've added some to the beginning of this chapter because I really needed to get a move on with the Genma-Ino story, and this is part of what's been holding me up in posting. Sorry it took me so long to figure out how to fix the problem.

……

Much thanks to everyone who's reviewed, because it reminds me that 'hey, i totally still have this thing i'm supposed to be working on.' This chapter was giving me trouble, and hopefully now that it's done, the rest of the story will kinda flow too.

Hopefully I've kept all my timelines right, but if you do find a plothole, let me know and I'll see what I can do to fix it.

Disclaimer reminders: I own nothing, and I do not condone or support human rights violations! This fic is rated M for a reason; expect adult topics like rape, murder, torture, foul language, and sexual explicitness. I do not claim to be an expert on any of these; I'm just writing a story about them.

And so, without further ado, Enjoy!

* * *

"I. Hate. That. Man!" Ino slammed a hot-lunch box down on the picnic table overlooking the training grounds and plopped into the bench. Shikamaru barely blinked, but continued to idly poke the sandwich his mother had insisted on packing for him.

"It's not like it would kill him to lighten up. Are you listening to me? Shikamaru!"

He finally tore his eyes away from the unappealing sandwich. "I'm listening."

Ino narrowed her eyes at him and picked up her chopsticks. "Right. Well, you sure have some bad taste in friends."

Shikamaru fought the urge to smile. "Who do you hate today?"

"That examiner from the chuunin exams. You should've hit him harder in that training session you two had." She started attacking the rice in front of her.

"What, Genma?"

"_What, Genma?_" she mocked. "Yes, Genma! Who else do you know that's so condescending and chauvinistic?"

_That's probably a rhetorical question._ "Oh."

"Don't 'oh' at me!" She glared at him until he lifted the edge of the top slice of bread, wondering if it might look any more appetizing on the inside. Ino had crossed her legs, and her foot was beginning to bounce impatiently. "Aren't you going to ask what he did?"

He dropped the bread back into place and pushed it away with a sigh. "If I know Genma, he probably hit on you. And if I know you, he probably had to leave before you did, and you took it personally."

Ino's glare intensified. "Glad you have so much faith in my maturity level," she ground out.

"What did he do?"

She force a sweet smile that came out more like 'i'm-gonna-rip-his-head-off'. "He seduced me," -Shikamaru almost laughed, but his sense of self preservation prevented it- "and now he won't talk to me. Like he was just _proving_ something, and since I'm more interested in fun than he is, I'm _soooo_ immature and below him! That takes so much nerve! Gah!" She slammed her chopsticks down on the table and crossed her arms violently over her chest, fuming again.

Shikamaru's eyebrows rose. "You actually slept with him?"

"Kami, Shikamaru, you don't have to make it sound so slutty! For your information, every girl that knows him wants him."

"…and you had him…?" Shikamaru racked his brain for a reason other than a bruised ego that Ino should be angry, but try as he might, even his genius brain was no match for female emotions.

Ino glared at him like he'd just personally insulted her. As the silence dragged out, he got more and more confused. When it started to get uncomfortable, she huffed out a breath and refocused her anger toward her food. Shikamaru's eyes widened.

"He turned you down, didn't he?"

"No, he definitely fucked me," she muttered, jabbing at something on her plate.

_Then what the hell…?_

"Do I dare ask what happened?" Shikamaru asked resignedly. He didn't exactly want to know, but somehow it seemed like something he was obligated to ask.

"He seduced me, just to humiliate me! He was more interested in his stupid card game than the sexy kunoichi in his bed!"

Shikamaru stared at her. "…Card game?"

"I know, right?" The pieces were beginning to fall into place for Shikamaru.

"So…what, you were supposed to find out what a certain card was?"

"Hardly. I was supposed to not tell him, and then I had to tell him. What the hell kind of logic is that?" she ranted.

Shikamaru couldn't come up with a safe answer, so he kept quiet. Ino seemed to have run out of things to shout, because she was now just picking dejectedly at her lunch.

_I…she's..wow. She's actually…upset. It's not rare for her to be angry, but she usually doesn't dwell on it after she's gotten it off her chest. _

"Are you…okay?" Shikamaru ventured.

"He fucked me and then lectured me on why I shouldn't have let him!"

Shikamaru's mind stalled. That was more than he'd wanted to hear, but Ino continued anyway.

"We were flirting and whatever, like normal, and he kept talking about how I wouldn't last a minute against someone sexy who wanted information, and I totally would! So I took the damn challenge, and then in the heat of the moment, he brings up the stupid game again. As soon as we finished, the bastard started lecturing me about how I can't go changing objectives in the middle of things, or let my own 'little whims' compromise my goals." She was glaring off at the indistinct treeline, gradually becoming more thoughtful. "Why couldn't he just let sex be sex?" she muttered, still wearing her indignant frown.

_So he really did beat her at her own game, and it's not just her sexual ego that's bruised. He showed her her weakness as a kunoichi, and she's having trouble accepting it._

"So he's a little over-vigilant."

"Try obsessive! Seriously, no mentally stable person should be _that_ obsessed with security. "

_And no good shinobi should ignore their weaknesses. He really is just trying to make her a better ninja,_ Shikamaru realized._ Though maybe he could have found a less insulting way to do it…but none of those would have gotten through to Ino._

"Have you talked to him?"

"No," she growled. "I didn't even stay the night. It wasn't like either of us was going to get off again."

Shikamaru knew he probably didn't want to ask, but for once his curiosity got the better of him. "…'again'?"

Ino actually blushed. "Well, until he decided to be a total ass," she scowled, "it was shaping up to be a very good night."

_So he earned her respect…and THEN insulted her? Ouch._

Ino seemed to have lost her steam where Genma was concerned, and now she was just picking at her food again. Shikamaru glanced down at his own untouched sandwich, then around at the training grounds below them. In the distance, he could see some pretty big jutsus being executed. He was too far from that particular training ground to see who was setting them off, but he had a pretty good hunch.

"When did you run into Genma today?"

"I didn't run into him. He was leaving the Tea Shop as I was going in. I kept my distance," she pouted.

"Didn't Chouji go with you?"

"He wanted a bigger lunch than the Tea Shop had. He's going to come as soon as they get his order finished."

"Hn. I think I'm going to go take care of some chores and get them out of the way." Ino raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, but he didn't give her time to comment. "Tell Chouji he can have my sandwich," he muttered as he stood up.

"I hope his manners don't rub off on you, Shikamaru!" she shouted angrily after him.

* * *

"Dammit, senpai, that _doesn't count!_" Genma shouted at Kakashi as he ducked behind a tree branch just in time to feel the breeze from the handful of kunai that would have landed squarely in his back.

"Yes it does. He didn't break you; you gave up."

Shikamaru was watching the sparring match that had been arranged between Genma and Kakashi at the very beginning of the first interrogation simulation. The two jonin were down on Training Ground 6.

"He tricked me! That's legit!" Genma jumped to a different tree to avoid a nin-dog's snapping jaws at his legs.

"And you gave up the answer so you could go get laid. That's giving up."

Kakashi was standing in the open, looking as nonchalant as ever as he fired weapon after weapon at Genma. There were several holes in the ground that looked like they'd been burned, and a few wet spots. Kakashi's dogs –all 9 of them- were chasing Genma, apparently trying to corner him.

_At least Ino would be happy,_ he thought wryly. Genma looked a little worse for the wear, but occasionally he was managing to throw something back at Kakashi. Not that anything ever made its way through the Copy Nin's defense, but at least it was something. Shikamaru sat down on the grass to watch a little more intently.

Genma sprinted across the small pond in the middle of TG6 with the big bulldog on his heels, only to be intercepted by one of the other dogs. He skidded to a stop, looking panicky, then suddenly plunged below the surface of the water. As soon as the top of his blue bandana was no longer visible, Kakashi was standing on the water and forming a series of seals. When he reached the last seal, Shikamaru watched a large sphere of water rise into the air. Genma was inside it, apparently paralyzed by the jutsu.

The two stared at each other for several moments. Kakashi crossed his arms stiffly, looking amused, and Genma glared through his water prison. After a minute or two, a look of discomfort replaced the frustration on Genma's face, and his eyes started to lose their focus. He was losing consciousness, Shikamaru realized with a sense of shock, and only then did Kakashi move the water prison to hover over dry land and release it.

Genma landed on the ground face down, and then started coughing. Still dripping wet, he pushed himself up on all fours and sat back, glare back in place. Kakashi's eye was creased up in his signature grin, and he turned and gestured for Shikamaru to come down and join them.

_Guess they're done._ Shikamaru stood up and headed down the hill. By the time he got there, Kakashi had joined the drowned rat sitting on the ground. Genma looked up at him.

"Did you tell him?"

_Huh?_ "Tell him what?"

Kakashi shook his head and offered Genma a senbon, probably that he'd caught and held onto from early on in their match. "No, he didn't tell me. Did you think I was that dense?"

Genma accepted the senbon and stuck it in his mouth. "I said I had a date with a pretty blonde, not that I was going to get laid."

Shikamaru wasn't quite following, so he spoke up as he lowered himself down onto the ground. "Uh, what didn't I tell?"

Genma's scowl lightened and his eyes relaxed into something resembling amusement. "About your teammate in that first simulation."

_Oh. THAT._ "Oh. No, I haven't said anything. I guess you're just predictable when it comes to women." Shikamaru watched Genma closely for a reaction, but the jonin just studied him for a brief moment.

"I'm guessing you've heard…?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "I'm staying out of it. Women are troublesome; you of all people should have figured that out," he teased.

Genma smirked at that, and Kakashi actually laughed. "I told you he picks up on things fast."

"Well…shit." The senbon twitched, and Genma seemed to be relaxing out of his frustration. He turned to look at Kakashi again. "But I didn't just give up easy, either, you know."

"I know," Kakashi answered lightly. Shikamaru raised his eyebrows, and Genma rolled his eyes.

"Then _why_ did you feel the need to set the dogs on me?" Shikamaru glanced around at the ninken in question, who were all sitting in sort of a circle around the three of them, panting and looking pleased with themselves.

"Because you didn't hold out as long as you could have, and because they haven't had a good spar in a long time."

Shikamaru tried not to smile.

"Bastard. Tomorrow's gonna suck! You know you wouldn'ta kicked my butt that bad without 'em."

"I still would've kicked your butt."

Genma scowled playfully and laid back on the grass, favoring his left shoulder a little in the process. "That's not the point," he muttered.

"Quit whining. You got in a few solid hits before I brought them in. I might actually be a little sore tomorrow."

"You know Shikamaru, sometimes when he actually fights fair, I can beat him."

"But is it really 'fair' if I can't use everything I've got and you can?"

Shikamaru listened to Kakashi and Genma banter back and forth for a couple more minutes, then finally Genma turned his head toward the chunin.

"So where are you off to on this beautiful, painful day?"

Shikamaru smiled and shrugged. "Not too sure. I trained this morning with Ino and Chouji. Thought maybe I'd go check in on Kurenai."

He saw Kakashi and Genma exchange a brief glance, but neither said anything.

The truth was, since the genjutsu simulation the night before yesterday, he'd already checked in on her twice. He couldn't seem to quit worrying about her and the baby when she was out of his sight, and she'd told him she was going grocery shopping this afternoon. He was planning to go help her carry the bags.

"You guys are done training this early?" Genma glanced up at the sunny blue sky. "It's not even noon yet."

Shikamaru's mouth twitched upward at the corners. "Chouji and his appetite were demanding lunch, and I worked them pretty hard yesterday and today."

Pakkun, who had been just chilling with the other dogs, had wandered over to Kakashi. The little pug spoke up. "Why didn't you eat lunch with them? I know I never pass up a good meal."

Shikamaru only missed a couple of beats, and when he spoke, his tone was a little heavier than it had been a moment ago. "I haven't been hungry."

"You should still eat," Kakashi said.

"Easier said than done. And my mom's sandwiches aren't exactly mouthwatering."

Silence reigned for a few minutes, until Pakkun broke it. "Hey, Kakashi. Can we go now? The others want to find some shade, and lunch sounds like a pretty good idea."

Kakashi scratched behind the pug's ears and nodded, and then the dogs all disappeared in a series of poofs.

Almost as soon as the last puff of smoke dissipated, Sakura came running up from the direction of the Hokage tower.

_Nice timing, Sakura._

All three turned to watch her approach, and she trotted up and stood over them for a moment to catch her breath. She nodded hello to Genma and Shikamaru, then tossed a scroll to Kakashi. He opened it as she spoke.

"You were supposed to be in the Hokage's office three and a half hours ago, Sensei."

"Was I? Oops."

"I've been running all over Konoha looking for you for an hour and a half."

"Good for you. Desk work all the time will get you out of shape."

Sakura's eyebrow twitched a little, but she went on. "We have a mission this afternoon, and we were supposed to depart from the East Gate an hour ago."

All three of the seated shinobi raised their eyebrows. Genma looked amused, and Shikamaru was a little bit surprised. _How does he get away with that?_

Kakashi looked up from skimming the mission scroll. "Where's the package?"

"I have it."

"Where are Naruto and Sai?"

"Sai put Naruto in the infirmary this morning when Naruto picked a fight, and now Sai's off Kami-knows-where training with Yamato-taicho."

"Hn."

"Tsunade-shishou said for you to pick the rest of a team and that we should 'get our asses on the road' before she starts drinking."

Genma laughed, and Kakashi looked like he might be smirking under the mask. Only Sakura did not look amused, and Kakashi addressed Shikamaru before she could say anything else.

"Your team free this afternoon and tomorrow?"

Shikamaru pouted on the inside. So much for his afternoon off. "As far as I know."

Sakura spoke up. "Ino's on the graveyard shift tonight at the hospital."

Kakashi nodded. "Shikamaru, track down Chouji and meet us at the East Gate as soon as you're both packed."

Shikamaru nodded and hauled himself reluctantly to his feet, and Kakashi formed a seal and disappeared.

Once the Copy Nin was gone, Sakura relaxed.

"How long does he really have, Sakura?" Genma asked.

"We're scheduled to leave in an hour."

Shikamaru chuckled as realization set in. "You always lie to your commander?"

"Only when it's Kakashi-sensei," she answered with a sweet smile. "It's a trick I picked up from Shizune-san. Tell them they're already late and act mad, and then they'll be almost on time. You and Chouji should pack for mixed weather. This mission is a B-rank, just making a delivery."

_An hour. That's time to get back to Chouji, pack, and see Kurenai before heading out. If I hurry. Damn._

He hauled himself up to his feet and started off, hearing Sakura turn on Genma in the background. "And I have a bone to pick with _you_, heartbreaker." _So Ino's talked to Sakura too. Good; means I'm off the hook.

* * *

_

That night, Kakashi, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Chouji had set up camp about three hours' run from their destination, which was one of the high-ranking officials of Fire Country. The package they were delivering wassn't big or heavy, and there were no specific threats regarding it. The particular official that had requested the mission was simply paranoid, so he had specifically requested a full team of at least chunin rank. Thus, it was a B mission.

They had built a fire, and Chouji and Sakura were already asleep for the night. Kakashi was taking first watch, but Shikamaru was still having trouble sleeping. He was scheduled for second, and planned to just stay up until it was his turn.

He was lying on his back staring up at the trees, and Kakashi was reading his little green book.

Every time he shut his eyes, Shikamaru could see the inside of the office-turned-interrogation-room from Kakashi's genjustsu. Sometimes, he saw the interrogator's scarred and tattooed face sneering joyfully at him, getting ready to hurt him with Asuma's blades. Sometimes, he saw Kurenai's throat being slit. Sometimes, he saw Shino evaporating into thin air. Sometimes he saw the relief on Hinata's bloodstreaked face when the interrogator had finally let her slip into unconsciousness and bleed to death. Sometimes, he saw the agony and humiliation on her face as the interrogator had raped her, forcing Shikamaru to watch.

Regardless of which particular image he saw or what sensation he remembered –the churning of his stomach, the taste of blood mixed with vomit, the extreme pain of the torture tags- the one that always made him feel sickest was picturing Asuma's face if he knew what Shikamaru had done. That he'd failed miserably and taken so many people down with him.

Shikamaru reached for his hip pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in order to keep himself from thinking about anything too intently. He shook one out of the pack and returned the rest to his pouch. He was just lighting it when Kakashi closed his book with a quiet snap.

"Shikamaru."

Shikamaru took his first long drag of smoke, then slowly blew it out his nose before acknowledging Kakashi.

"Hm." He didn't move his eyes from the leaves overhead.

"I know you've got to have some questions from the other night."

_I guess it's time. I've got nothing better to do, and putting this off won't help anything._

"A few."

For a moment, the only sound was the rustling of leaves.

"Have you told your team?" Kakashi asked quietly.

Shikamaru shook his head and took a puff. "No. They know basically what I'm working on, but they don't know details." He gave a sort of dark half chuckle. "They know you're in on it, and they know I beat the hell out of Genma the other day for it."

"How'd they take it?"

"Ino was pissed. And worried. Chouji…I'm not sure. I don't know if it's really sunk in yet for him, but he's accepting it so far."

"That's good."

"Hn. Why didn't you use them instead of Hinata and Shino?"

Kakashi nodded slowly, and Shikamaru kept staring at the trees. "A couple of reasons. You want the honest truth?"

Shikamaru let out the smoke he'd just inhaled and finally turned his head to look at the jonin. _Haven't I come too far already to not want the truth?_

Kakashi seemed to read his thoughts. "I know it's a hard thing to talk about. Torture in general, and especially what I put you through the other night. I can give you the easy, half-true answers or the real answers you won't want to hear."

"Oh." _Do I want the whole truth? Not really. Can I handle it? Maybe. But will it do any good to hear sugar-coated answers?_ After a moment, he answered around his cigarette. "I want the truth."

"I didn't use Ino and Chouji because that would have fucked you over a lot worse than…well, worse than it was."

"I thought that was the goal," Shikamaru said flatly.

"The goal was to find your breaking point. I had a pretty good idea what it might be. Using Chouji and Ino might have worked, or it might not have, but you never stood a chance with the storyline I used. There was no reason to make it any harder on you just for the sake of a maybe."

"Do you think I would have cracked for Ino?"

Kakashi shrugged. "It's hard to say. You might have, but I doubt it. She's a kunoichi, prepared to give up her life just like Hinata or Sakura or any of the guys you know. You might have cracked for her because you're closer to her and feel responsible for her, but….she isn't going to have Asuma's baby."

_Just like Hinata._ Shikamaru tried not to let the image come into his mind, but it was already there. He saw Ino in Hinata's place during the interrogation, and his hands started to tremble. He took the last long drag of smoke, then flicked the butt into the fire and reached shakily for another.

"So why Hinata specifically?"

"Because she fit the story best, and because I couldn't use anyone else."

"What do you mean, you couldn't use anyone else?"

Kakashi sighed and tossed another large stick on the fire. "I didn't want to use Ino because of what I just told you, but I couldn't have if I'd wanted to. You know her better than I do, and you'd have known it wasn't her. That would have screwed everything up."

"There are others."

"It had to be someone you're fairly close to, which narrowed it down to Hinata, Ino, Sakura, and Tenten. I don't know Tenten well enough to create a genjutsu of her personality, and…_I_ couldn't put Sakura through that hell. I'm responsible for her, because she's on my team and was one of my students. That's why I chose Hinata."

"Cold."

"Necessary."

"I guess," Shikamaru muttered. "Don't you worry about Sakura and Naruto though?" _Like the way I've been worrying about Ino and Chouji for the past two days?_ "What if they get captured?"

Kakashi nodded at the fire. "I know. I am concerned. But they're both tough as nails, and powerful enough to keep from getting captured, if they work as a team."

"Have you gone over any defense at all with them?"

"A little. Very little. Eventually, I'll teach them more, but in the meantime, that's what I'm here for. To make sure they don't need it."

"Hm."

"What else is on your mind?"

_Everything._ The fire shifted, and a shower of sparks danced upward.

"How long did it take you to break the first time?"

"...nobody's ever managed it."

"You've never…"

"No. I've come damn close though. A couple of times, I probably should have, but I was too damn arrogant. It cost more lives than it saved."

_He's never broken. Ever. And I lasted a grand total of five and a half hours._ Shikamaru closed his eyes, but a hot tear slid out anyway. He made no move to acknowledge it, because he didn't want to draw attention to it. Instead, he took a long puff of smoke.

"And Genma?" he whispered.

"With me? Just under five hours. Real life, six days."

That made Shikamaru feel a little better. He'd lasted longer than Genma under the Sharingan. And if Genma could last six days for real…maybe that wasn't too shabby.

"Remember, I have an advantage over most interrogators." Kakashi tapped his temple beside his covered Sharingan, and Shikamaru nodded and opened his eyes.

"Asuma?"

Kakashi chuckled softly. "Wouldn't know. I was still developing the training when I tried it on Asuma, and I was too obvious. I jumped straight to what I knew was his weakness, and that tipped him off that it was a genjutsu. Wore myself out before I could break him."

"What was his weakness?"

"His family."

They were quiet for a few moments. Shikamaru was still turning over this new information before he moved on to any more questions. Kakashi interrupted his thoughts.

"Did I push you too far?"

Shikamaru tossed the cigarette into the fire and shook his head. "I don't know."

"Are there parts you'd rather not remember?" the jonin asked gently.

"Does it get any easier?"

"Not really. Maybe a little, just from knowing what to expect, but you'll never be immune as long as you're still human."

Shikamaru was quiet a long time before he answered. "No. I need to remember all of it. Maybe…maybe if I couldn't see the pictures quite so clearly, it'd be easier to get past, but…I don't know."

"Which pictures bother you the most?"

Shikamaru swallowed. "Hinata. Kurenai, after."

"Which part with Hinata?"

"The…before. When he was…"

"Hn. Do you want me to help you with those parts?"

Shikamaru sucked in a deep breath. _My team needs me to get past this. If I'm ever going to be any use as a shinobi again, I've got to be able to eat and sleep._

"I don't want to forget," Shikamaru said hesitantly, "especially…especially their eyes. Either of them."

The eyes had affected him the most. Hinata had met and held his gaze while the Interrogator was slamming roughly into her from behind. It was almost as if she'd been drawing strength from Shikamaru, like even though she was naked, crying, hurt, and being violated, as long as she had a friend and ally there, she could stay strong. And Kurenai's red eyes had shown so much pain when Shikamaru had betrayed Konoha on behalf of her baby…he didn't want to ever forget either of those, even if they were just part of a genjutsu. The rest of the picture, though…all the violence, he could do without.

"I can do that. Is there anything you _do_ want to forget?"

"I'd like to forget what he looked like."

Kakashi nodded, understanding that he meant the interrogator. Shikamaru was staring at the trees again, trying not to feel nervous about Kakashi using the Sharingan on him again.

"Look at me."

Shikamaru turned his head to meet Kakashi's gaze, forcing his eyes to stay open.

"No genjutsu this time. I'm just going to hypnotize you, and you'll wake up feeling refreshed. You'll remember all of today, and all the parts you want to remember from the other night. Got it?"

"Hm."

Shikamaru's heart sped up a little bit when Kakashi lifted his forehead protector, revealing the mismatched eye.

"You still trust me?"

It took Shikamaru a little longer to answer this time than it did the last time Kakashi had asked him that question, but after a few seconds, he swallowed and forced himself to nod.

"Yeah." He took a deep breath, expecting the same plunge into blackness he'd felt last time, but instead, Kakashi nodded.

"Good. Just try to relax."

Then the Sharingan started to swirl, slowly at first, then getting a little bit faster and a little bit faster, and before Shikamaru realized what was happening, he felt himself slipping gently into peaceful oblivion.

* * *

So...I'm not sure I'm completely happy with the pacing of this chapter, but oh well. Here it is anyway; maybe having it out will help me iron out the next couple of chapters. (And yes, Reviews do certainly inspire me!) 


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